key term - Resting membrane potential

Definition

Resting membrane potential is the electrical charge difference across the neuronal membrane when the neuron is not actively transmitting a signal. It is typically negative, indicating that the inside of the neuron is more negatively charged compared to the outside.

Related terms

Action Potential:

A rapid rise and subsequent fall in voltage or electrical charge across a cellular membrane, characteristic of nerve impulse transmission.

Ion Channels:

Protein structures in cell membranes that allow ions to pass into and out of cells, crucial for maintaining the resting membrane potential and initiating action potentials.

Depolarization:

The process by which the cell's normally negative resting membrane potential becomes less negative (more positive), potentially leading to an action potential