Definition

1. Noun:
   • The electrical potential difference across the plasma membrane of a cell, such as a neuron or muscle cell, when it is in a non-excited, or resting, state. This state is characterized by a negative charge inside the cell relative to the outside, typically maintained by the sodium-potassium pump and differential ion permeability.

Usage

• The term "resting potential" is used primarily in the fields of biology, physiology, and neuroscience to describe the baseline electrical state of an excitable cell before it is stimulated.
• It is a specific, measurable value, often expressed in millivolts (mV).
• It is a prerequisite for generating an action potential.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The neuron's resting potential is approximately -70 millivolts.
  • A stable resting potential is crucial for normal nerve function.
  • The experiment measured the change in resting potential after the application of the drug.

Advanced Usage

• "To maintain the resting potential": This phrase describes the active cellular processes, primarily the sodium-potassium ATPase pump, that work to preserve the electrical gradient.
  • Ion channels and pumps work together to maintain the resting potential.
• "Depolarization from the resting potential": Refers to the reduction of the membrane potential, making it less negative and moving it toward zero, which can initiate an action potential.
  • The stimulus caused a depolarization from the resting potential.

Variants and Related Words

• Action Potential (n): The rapid, temporary reversal of the membrane potential that propagates along an excitable cell as a nerve signal.
  • An action potential is generated when depolarization reaches a certain threshold.
• Membrane Potential (n): The general term for the voltage difference across a cell's plasma membrane, which includes both resting and action potentials.
  • The membrane potential fluctuates during cellular activity.
• Polarized (adj): The state of having a resting potential, with distinct positive and negative charges separated by the membrane.
  • A resting neuron is said to be polarized.

Synonyms

• Baseline membrane potential: The steady-state electrical charge difference across the membrane.
• Resting membrane potential: A full, equivalent term for "resting potential."

Related Phrases

• "At rest": Describes the cell when it has a stable resting potential and is not conducting an impulse.
  • The muscle cell at rest has a characteristic resting potential.
• "Threshold potential": The specific membrane potential value that must be reached to trigger an action potential.
  • The stimulus must be strong enough to bring the membrane from the resting potential to the threshold potential.

Noun

1. the potential difference between the two sides of the membrane of a nerve cell when the cell is not conducting an impulse