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action potential |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.04 sec. |
action potentialBrief (about one-thousandth of a second) reversal of electric polarization of the membrane of a nerve or muscle cell. Stimulation of the cell by certain chemicals or by sensory receptor cells causes depolarization of the membrane, permitting an impulse to move along the nerve fibre (in nerve cells) or causing the cell to contract (in muscle cells). |
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| This interrupts transmission of the pain-causing nerve impulses, therefore reducing pain. The device detects nerve disturbances before physical symptoms appear by measuring nerve impulses as they flow through the muscles. The design permits precise control over whether channels into neurons are opened or closed to the ions that propagate nerve impulses. |
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