Generation and propagation of the action potential. Handb Clin Neurol 2019;160:3-22
Date
07/07/2019Pubmed ID
31277855DOI
10.1016/B978-0-444-64032-1.00001-1Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85068161532 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 25 CitationsAbstract
The action potential is a regenerative electrical phenomenon observed on excitable cell membranes that allows the propagation of signals without attenuation. It is the cornerstone of neurophysiology. This chapter is a review of the action potential and its relationship to the signals that are studied in clinical neurophysiology. The first section traces the history of key scientific discoveries over the last 250 years that have led to our present-day understanding of the electrical properties of nerve and muscle. The second section considers the molecular and biophysical mechanisms that are responsible for the electrical potentials that can be measured across all eukaryotic cell membranes, but specifically in neurons, nerves, and muscle. Mechanisms underlying propagation action potentials within the nervous system are also examined. The concluding section is a brief overview of the normal "macroscopic" signals that are commonly recorded from the central and peripheral nervous system, and how they are derived from action potentials.
Author List
Raghavan M, Fee D, Barkhaus PEAuthors
Paul E. Barkhaus MD Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of WisconsinDominic B. Fee MD Vice Chair, Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Manoj Raghavan MD, PhD Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Action PotentialsAnimals
Electromyography
Humans
Membrane Transport Proteins
Motor Neurons
Neural Conduction
Neuromuscular Junction
Recruitment, Neurophysiological
