Electrical excitability

Electrical excitability refers to the capacity of nerves and other tissues to generate and sometimes propagate action potentials, in other words, signals that serve to control intracellular processes, such as muscle contraction, synaptic transmitter release or hormone secretion. The nervous system enables animals to receive and act on internal and external stimuli with speed and in a coordinated manner. Activity of the nervous system is reflected in a variety of electrical and chemical signals that arise in the receptor organs, the nerve cellsو and the effector organs, including the muscles and secretory glands. The properties of almost all cells are the formation of a reposing membrane potential and its dependence on ion gradients and ion permeability. The distinctive feature of electrically excitable cells is their response to membrane depolarization.