Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Propagation of Action Potentials

Propagation of Action Potentials

The propagation of an action potential refers to the process by which a nerve impulse, or "action potential," travels along a neuron.
Neurons (nerve cells) have a resting membrane potential, with a slightly negative charge inside compared to outside. This is maintained by ion channels, such as sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) channels, which control the flow of ions. When a stimulus, like a touch or a signal from another neuron, triggers the neuron, sodium channels open, allowing sodium ions to...

Action Potential

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they...

Brain Waves

Brain Waves

Brain waves are electrical signals generated by the neurons in the brain, which are regularly monitored to measure mental activities. Brain waves and their frequency ranges can be measured using an electroencephalogram or EEG. There are four main types of brain waves, each with distinct characteristics:

Action Potential: Phases of Stimulation

Action Potential: Phases of Stimulation

The action potential is a complex electrical event that occurs in excitable cells, such as neurons and muscle cells. It consists of several distinct phases, each with specific characteristics.
Resting Phase:
In this phase, the cell's membrane is at its resting potential, typically around -70 millivolts (mV) for neurons. Inside the cell, there is a higher concentration of potassium ions (K+) and a lower concentration of sodium ions (Na+). Voltage-gated sodium channels are closed, and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The Problem-Ladenness of Theory.

Computational brain & behavior·2026

Same author

Revisiting post-stimulus theta activity: evidence for an aperiodic rather than oscillatory origin.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Neural timescales from a computational perspective.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Same author

Potential mechanisms and functional significance of aperiodic neural activity.

Nature human behaviour·2026

Same author

Estimating fMRI timescale maps.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2026

Same author

Cycle-by-cycle respiration waveforms are coupled with the shape of neural oscillations.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Concurrent Recording of Co-localized Electroencephalography and Local Field Potential in Rodent

Concurrent Recording of Co-localized Electroencephalography and Local Field Potential in Rodent

Published on: November 30, 2017

Processes and measurements: a framework for understanding neural oscillations in field potentials.

Sander van Bree¹, Daniel Levenstein², Matthew R Krause³

¹Department of Medicine, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

|January 3, 2025

Summary

Brain oscillations may be functional, not just epiphenomenal. Electric fields, oscillating or not, are causally relevant for neuronal computation, while field potentials can carry information independently.

Keywords:

causality conceptual analysis electrophysiology local field potential measurement neural oscillations process

More Related Videos

Recording Spatially Restricted Oscillations in the Hippocampus of Behaving Mice

Recording Spatially Restricted Oscillations in the Hippocampus of Behaving Mice

Published on: July 1, 2018

Generation of Local CA1 γ Oscillations by Tetanic Stimulation

Generation of Local CA1 γ Oscillations by Tetanic Stimulation

Published on: August 14, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Concurrent Recording of Co-localized Electroencephalography and Local Field Potential in Rodent

Concurrent Recording of Co-localized Electroencephalography and Local Field Potential in Rodent

Published on: November 30, 2017

Recording Spatially Restricted Oscillations in the Hippocampus of Behaving Mice

Recording Spatially Restricted Oscillations in the Hippocampus of Behaving Mice

Published on: July 1, 2018

Generation of Local CA1 γ Oscillations by Tetanic Stimulation

Generation of Local CA1 γ Oscillations by Tetanic Stimulation

Published on: August 14, 2015

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Debate exists on whether brain oscillations are crucial for neuronal computation or merely epiphenomenal.
Existing theories offer conflicting views on the functional significance of macroscale brain dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the functional role of brain oscillations versus their epiphenomenal nature.
To clarify the relationship between measurements and processes in neurobiological events.
To determine the causal and inferential links between field potentials, electric fields, and neurobiology.

Main Methods:

Distinguishing between brain signal measurements and underlying processes.
Reviewing existing literature on causal and inferential links in neurobiology.
Introducing a new vocabulary to define the roles of brain signals and processes.

Main Results:

Oscillations are demarcated as a distinct entity where both processes and measurements can exhibit periodicity.
Electric fields, whether oscillating or not, are causally and computationally relevant to brain function.
Field potential signals can convey information even in the absence of direct causality.

Conclusions:

Electric fields play a significant causal and computational role in the brain.
Field potentials possess informational content irrespective of their direct causal involvement.
The study provides a framework for understanding the functional significance of brain signals and their underlying dynamics.