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action potential |
Also found in: Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.03 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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| Standard neurophysiological theory holds that the number of spikes in the spike train determines the message the neuron sends: A very intense, staccato burst of nerve firing might be the strong signal generated by a bright visual pattern, for instance. |
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