| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,757,640,212 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
action potential |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, 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). action potential [′ak·shən pə‚ten·chəl] (neuroscience) A transient change in electric potential at the surface of a nerve or muscle cell occurring at the moment of excitation. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | |
|---|---|---|
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. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|