ACTION POTENTIAL
action potential: translation
An electrical pulse that passes along the membranes of excitable cells, such as neurons, muscle cells, fertilized eggs and certain plant cells. The precise shape of action potentials varies, but action potentials always involve a large depolarization of the cell membrane, from its normal resting potential of -50 to -90mV. In a neuron, action potentials can reach +30mV, and last 1ms. In muscles, action potentials can be much slower, lasting up to 1s.