Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Imaging of Intracellular ATP in Organotypic Tissue Slices of the Mouse Brain using the FRET-based Sensor ATeam1.03YEMK
Published on: December 19, 2019
Intrinsic activity in cells and the brain
1Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Motile cells such as bacteria, amoebae, and fibroblasts display a continual level of energy-consuming reactions involving the cytoskeleton and signal pathways, regardless of whether or not they are actually migrating. I draw parallels between these "silent signals" and the intrinsic activity of the human brain, especially that associated with the brain stem. In both cases, it can be argued that the organism continually rehearses possible future actions, so it can act quickly and accurately when suitable cues are received from the environment.
More Related Videos
10:19Induction of an Isoelectric Brain State to Investigate the Impact of Endogenous Synaptic Activity on Neuronal Excitability In Vivo
Published on: March 31, 2016
12:15In Vivo Functional Brain Imaging Approach Based on Bioluminescent Calcium Indicator GFP-aequorin
Published on: January 8, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Types of Receptors: Internal Receptors
Similar to membrane-bound receptors, the binding of a ligand to the intracellular receptor of causes a conformational change in the...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles
Like neurons, muscle cells are also regarded as excitable due to their capacity to change in response to stimuli, primarily due to voltage-gated ion channels embedded in their plasma membranes, which get activated by alterations in the...
Internal Receptors
Resting Membrane Potential
The Inside of a Neuron is More Negative
The membrane potential of a cell can be measured by inserting a microelectrode into a cell and comparing the charge to a reference electrode in the extracellular fluid. The...
The Resting Membrane Potential