Resting potential

Potassium cyanide inhibits an enzyme of the respiratory chain in the mitochondria. As a result, oxygen can no longer be used effectively for aerobic energy production even though it is available, and ATP production rapidly collapses. Tissues with a high energy demand, such as nervous tissue, are particularly sensitive. For the neuron, this means that the sodium-potassium pump cannot continue to operate without sufficient ATP. Normally, it transports sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions into the cell, thereby stabilizing the ion gradients that enable the resting potential.