Cell Function
action potential Audio
ac·tion po·ten·tial
Subclass of:
Membrane Potentials
Definitions related to action potentials:
  • A process in which membrane potential cycles through a depolarizing spike, triggered in response to depolarization above some threshold, followed by repolarization. This cycle is driven by the flow of ions through various voltage gated channels with different thresholds and ion specificities.
    Gene Ontology Dictionary
    Gene Ontology Consortium, 2021
  • A rapid self-propagating change in the electrical potential across a neuron, gland, or muscle fiber membrane primarily due to a sudden influx of sodium ions followed by an efflux of potassium ions.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Abrupt changes in the membrane potential that sweep along the CELL MEMBRANE of excitable cells in response to excitation stimuli.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Action potential, the brief (about one-thousandth of a second) reversal of electric polarization of the membrane of a nerve cell (neuron) or muscle cell. In the neuron an action potential produces the nerve impulse, and in the muscle cell it produces the contraction required for all movement....
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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