Membrane potential
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Membrane potential is the difference in electric potential between the interior and the exterior of a biological cell.
Graph displaying an EPSP, an IPSP, and the summation of an EPSP and an IPSP
Resting potential
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The relatively static membrane potential of quiescent cells is called the resting membrane potential, as opposed to the specific dynamic electrochemical phenomena called action potential and graded me
Membrane potential
…signal. In non-excitable cells, and in excitable cells in their baseline states, the membrane potential is held at a relatively stable value, called the resting potential. For neurons, resting potential is defined as ranging from −80 to −70 millivolts; that is, the interior of a cell has a negative baseline voltage of a…
A diagram showing the progression in the development of a membrane potential from a concentration gradient (for potassium). Green arrows indicate net movement of K+ down a concentration gradient. Red arrows indicate net movement of K+ due to the membrane potential. The diagram is misleading in that while the concentration of potassium ions outside of the cell increases, only a small amount of K+ needs to cross the membrane in order to produce a membrane potential with a magnitude large enough to counter the tendency of the potassium ions to move down the concentration gradient.