- #1
madness
- 815
- 70
I'm slightly confused about the speed at which "electricity" flows through neurite (i.e. dendrite etc) as per cable theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_theory). In standard electrical circuits, we have two velocities - the drift velocity of the electric charge and the velocity of the electric field (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_electricity). In the case of neurite we have a resitance to the flow of charge through the cytosol and presumably attenuation of the electric field is an important factor.
In any case, all of the resources I've come across describe the flow of electric charge but none mention the electric field. For standard electric circuits the opposite is true - the speed of the electric field is the most important factor. So what about the electric field in a neuron? Is it unimportant compared to the physical flow of charge? Why is it neglected?
In any case, all of the resources I've come across describe the flow of electric charge but none mention the electric field. For standard electric circuits the opposite is true - the speed of the electric field is the most important factor. So what about the electric field in a neuron? Is it unimportant compared to the physical flow of charge? Why is it neglected?