<p>The <a href="http://neuroscience.med.utah.edu/Faculty/Normann.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Utah array</a> is a multi-electrode array for intracortical recordings. In one of many publications on this device, the authors show some sample traces that reveal amplitudes generally <strong>between 5 and 40 microVolts</strong>. However, measured voltage will depend on the vigilance state of the brain, recording area, time on the millisecond scale, time on the macro scale (gliosis) and insertion depth and so forth.</p>

<p>Note that <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep36228/figures/4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">extracellular electrodes</a> will never measure the high potentials that occur at the membrane surface as recorded through <a href="http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Intracellular_recording" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>intracellular</em> electrodes</a>. Because of the distance of extracellular electrodes to the neuronal cell membranes, the signals are much smaller.</p>

<p><sub><strong>Reference</strong><br>
<strong>-</strong> <a href="http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0013469496951760/1-s2.0-S0013469496951760-main.pdf?_tid=997543a2-f43d-11e6-8f30-00000aab0f26&amp;acdnat=1487245788_5c8b9c19d7a89585272ca5e8e5460780" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Craig <em>et al</em>., <em>Electroencephal clin Neurophysiol</em> (1997); <strong>102</strong>: 228-239</a></sub></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-16T11:52:56.360Z
2017-02-16T12:28:55.840Z
2017-02-16T12:28:55.840Z
AliceD
<p>When a neuron fires, an action potential of about 100 mV is generated. An electrode measuring brain activity will record several hundreds neurons at a time. How much voltage an electrode directly in contact with brain tissue is expected to receive?</p>

<measurement><electrophysiology>
What is the voltage that an intracortical electrode is expected to receive?
pybtyh
# What is the voltage that an intracortical electrode is expected to receive?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-02-16)

When a neuron fires, an action potential of about 100 mV is generated. An electrode measuring brain activity will record several hundreds neurons at a time. How much voltage an electrode directly in contact with brain tissue is expected to receive?

**Tags:** measurement, electrophysiology


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-02-16. Score: 3

The [Utah array](http://neuroscience.med.utah.edu/Faculty/Normann.html) is a multi-electrode array for intracortical recordings. In one of many publications on this device, the authors show some sample traces that reveal amplitudes generally **between 5 and 40 microVolts**. However, measured voltage will depend on the vigilance state of the brain, recording area, time on the millisecond scale, time on the macro scale (gliosis) and insertion depth and so forth.

Note that [extracellular electrodes](http://www.nature.com/articles/srep36228/figures/4) will never measure the high potentials that occur at the membrane surface as recorded through [*intracellular* electrodes](http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Intracellular_recording). Because of the distance of extracellular electrodes to the neuronal cell membranes, the signals are much smaller.

**Reference**  
**-** [Craig *et al*., *Electroencephal clin Neurophysiol* (1997); **102**: 228-239](http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0013469496951760/1-s2.0-S0013469496951760-main.pdf?_tid=997543a2-f43d-11e6-8f30-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1487245788_5c8b9c19d7a89585272ca5e8e5460780)


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