<p>Most texts on neurons give the value of the membrane potential and do not state the absolute values of the intracellular and extracellular potentials in a neuron. I understand that this is because the membrane potential is all that is needed to understand propagation of impulses along a neuron. However, I am curious about the absolute intracellular and extracellular potentials in a resting neuron. Have they been determined? If yes, what are their values if we take our reference of zero potential as a point infinitely far away from the neuron?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-06T18:49:54.687Z
Why care? It's completely irrelevant to any biology.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-19T07:49:23.197Z
That doesn't stop it from being a completely valid question.
Toba
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-19T13:52:44.000Z
"You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face" from https://psychology.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask
Bryan Krause
<neuroscience><measurement><theoretical-neuroscience><neurophysiology><neural-network>
What are the values of the absolute intracellular and absolute extracellular potentials in a neuron?
Toba
# What are the values of the absolute intracellular and absolute extracellular potentials in a neuron?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-09-05)

Most texts on neurons give the value of the membrane potential and do not state the absolute values of the intracellular and extracellular potentials in a neuron. I understand that this is because the membrane potential is all that is needed to understand propagation of impulses along a neuron. However, I am curious about the absolute intracellular and extracellular potentials in a resting neuron. Have they been determined? If yes, what are their values if we take our reference of zero potential as a point infinitely far away from the neuron?

**Tags:** neuroscience, measurement, theoretical-neuroscience, neurophysiology, neural-network

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Why care? It's completely irrelevant to any biology.  
> **username_0**: That doesn't stop it from being a completely valid question.  
> **username_1**: "You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face" from https://psychology.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask  

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