What is the term that describes the state where the neuron is polarized with the outside more positive than the inside?

What is the term that describes the state where the neuron is polarized with the outside more positive than the inside?

• A. Depolarization
• B. Hyperpolarization
• C. Resting Potential
• D. Polarization of Neuron

Answer: (D)

The main idea is the electrical state of a neuron when it’s not signaling. When the outside is more positive than the inside, the membrane is polarized and there is a resting membrane potential—the baseline voltage the neuron maintains at rest. In most neurons, this resting potential is negative inside relative to the outside, often around −70 mV, kept by ion gradients and the sodium–potassium pump. This resting state is what allows the neuron to respond to stimuli with depolarization and action potentials. Depolarization is a shift toward a less negative inside (more positive), and hyperpolarization is a shift toward a more negative inside. Saying the neuron is polarized describes the presence of a voltage difference, but the standard term for this resting, non-active state is the resting potential. The phrasing “polarization of neuron” isn’t the usual label used in physiology, whereas resting potential is the established term for the neuron's baseline state.

The main idea is the electrical state of a neuron when it’s not signaling. When the outside is more positive than the inside, the membrane is polarized and there is a resting membrane potential—the baseline voltage the neuron maintains at rest. In most neurons, this resting potential is negative inside relative to the outside, often around −70 mV, kept by ion gradients and the sodium–potassium pump. This resting state is what allows the neuron to respond to stimuli with depolarization and action potentials.

Depolarization is a shift toward a less negative inside (more positive), and hyperpolarization is a shift toward a more negative inside. Saying the neuron is polarized describes the presence of a voltage difference, but the standard term for this resting, non-active state is the resting potential. The phrasing “polarization of neuron” isn’t the usual label used in physiology, whereas resting potential is the established term for the neuron's baseline state.