80.4k views
5 votes
Kidneys play a major role in helping to maintain proper levels of Na and K ions in the blood. If the kidneys fail to function properly, one of the direct consequences would be_________.

User Cullen
by
4.2k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Kidneys play a major role in helping to maintain proper levels of Na and K ions in the blood. If the kidneys fail to function properly, one of the direct consequences would be "impaired nerve impulse transmission".

Step-by-step explanation:

The propagation of a nerve impulse from one side of a neuron to the other happens as a result of electrical changes throughout the neuron membrane. The membrane of an unstimulated neuron is polarized — that is, the electrical charge differential between the external and the internal of the membrane.

A nervous impulse is transferred from a pre-synaptic neuron to a post-synaptic neuron through the synapse and Via the use of neurotransmitter diffusion. This increases the voltage in the neuron, allowing the calcium channels on the pre-synaptic neuron to open up.

User Andre Schlesinger
by
4.7k points