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Chapter 52 - Nerve Action Potential and Propagation

from Section 4 - Neurophysiology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2019

David Chambers ,
Christopher Huang  and
Gareth Matthews
David Chambers
Affiliation:
Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
Christopher Huang
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Gareth Matthews
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

An action potential is a transient reversal of the membrane potential that occurs in excitable cells, including neurons, muscle cells and some endocrine cells. The action potential is an ‘all-or-nothing’ event: if the triggering stimulus is smaller than a threshold value, the action potential does not occur. But once triggered, the action potential has a well-defined amplitude and duration. Action potential propagation allows rapid signalling within excitable cells over relatively long distances.

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Basic Physiology for Anaesthetists , pp. 225 - 230
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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References

Further reading

Keynes, R. D., Aidley, D. J., Huang, C. L.-H.. Nerve and Muscle, 4th edition. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scholz, A.. Mechanisms of (local) anaesthetics on voltage-gated sodium and other ion channels. Br J Anaesth 2002; 89(1): 52–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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