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this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2024
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Science Memes
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If we are talking facts, neurons don't use electricity, it's a cascade of released ion potentials. Thats why nerves are so much slower than electrical signals.
He should have said "power" not electricity
Humans dissipate power in the range of old tungsten lamps - on the order of 100W at rest, brains use about 20% of that, so 20W - about the same as an energy efficient globe
Hi. I'm just curious what part of the world you're from that light bulbs are called a globe?
Cheers.
Yeah we call them light globes in Australia, as well as bulbs
Thanks. Never heard it before
It's really both, neurons communicate electrochemically. Neurons establish a voltage difference across their membrane, typically positive outside, negative inside, by concentrating ions on one side or the other. In a single neuron, the action potential (signal) results in the electric polarity of the cell membrane switching to negative outside, positive inside, with the change in gradient cascading down the length of the axon as ions are allowed to flow across the membrane by voltage-gated ion channels. After depolarization, ions are actively and selectively pumped to either side of the membrane, repolarizing it.
There's a lot more to it than that but it's 100% charge dependent. The change in charge is mediated by the flow of ions across a membrane instead of the flow of electrons through a conductor, hence why it's slower.