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An action potential occurs when the membrane potential of a specific cell rapidly rises and falls. [1] This depolarization then causes adjacent locations to similarly depolarize. Action potentials occur in several types of excitable cells, which include animal cells like neurons and muscle cells, as well as some plant cells.
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This change in charge, voltage, and membrane potential generates an electrical signal referred to as an action potential. Action potentials are used for communication between neurons within nervous tissue. [4] Graph showing the depolarization, repolarization, and hyperpolarization of an action potential.
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Once this initial action potential is initiated, principally at the axon hillock, it propagates down the length of the axon. Under normal conditions, the action potential would attenuate very quickly due to the porous nature of the cell membrane. To ensure faster and more efficient propagation of action potentials, the axon is myelinated ...
Diagram of membrane potential changes during an action potential. Hyperpolarization is a change in a cell's membrane potential that makes it more negative. Cells typically have a negative resting potential, with neuronal action potentials depolarizing the membrane.
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After the action potential is reached, the neuron begins repolarization (3), where the sodium channels close and the potassium channels open, allowing potassium ions to cross the membrane and flood into the extracellular fluid, resulting in a positive charge in the extracellular fluid and a negative charge that is below the resting potential of ...