resting potential
The potential difference between the electrical charges inside a cell and outside the cell when the cell is in a resting state (e.g. when a neurone is not conducting a nerve impulse, or when a muscle fibre is not producing tension). The resting membrane potential is established by an unequal distribution of charged ions on either side of the cell surface membrane. In a motor neurone, the inside of the cell is negatively charged relative to the positively charged outside and the resting membrane potential is about 60 mV.
