The neuron's resting charge is called

The neuron's resting charge is called

• A. Resting Potential
• B. Action Potential
• C. Depolarization
• D. Hyperpolarization

Answer: (A)

Resting membrane potential is the neuron's baseline electrical state when it’s not firing. The inside is negatively charged relative to the outside, typically around −70 millivolts. This negativity comes from ion gradients and selective membrane permeability: the membrane is more permeable to potassium, so K+ tends to leak out, leaving the interior negative. The Na+/K+ ATPase pump maintains these gradients by moving Na+ out and K+ in. This resting potential sets up the ready frame for rapid signaling when a stimulus occurs. An action potential is the rapid, all‑or‑none spike in voltage that signals a neuron fires. It involves depolarization, where the interior becomes less negative (often due to Na+ rushing in), followed by repolarization and sometimes hyperpolarization, where the interior briefly becomes more negative than the resting level before returning to baseline. Depolarization and hyperpolarization describe changes from the resting state, not the resting state itself.

Resting membrane potential is the neuron's baseline electrical state when it’s not firing. The inside is negatively charged relative to the outside, typically around −70 millivolts. This negativity comes from ion gradients and selective membrane permeability: the membrane is more permeable to potassium, so K+ tends to leak out, leaving the interior negative. The Na+/K+ ATPase pump maintains these gradients by moving Na+ out and K+ in. This resting potential sets up the ready frame for rapid signaling when a stimulus occurs.

An action potential is the rapid, all‑or‑none spike in voltage that signals a neuron fires. It involves depolarization, where the interior becomes less negative (often due to Na+ rushing in), followed by repolarization and sometimes hyperpolarization, where the interior briefly becomes more negative than the resting level before returning to baseline. Depolarization and hyperpolarization describe changes from the resting state, not the resting state itself.