Plateau potentials
Plateau Potentials
Plateau Potentials (pronunciation: pla-toh po-ten-shals) are a type of membrane potential that remain at a depolarized level for an extended period before repolarizing.
Etymology
The term "Plateau Potentials" is derived from the French word "plateau" meaning flat or level, and the Latin word "potentialis" meaning power or force. This term is used to describe the flat or level phase of the action potential where the membrane potential remains depolarized.
Definition
Plateau Potentials are a characteristic feature of certain excitable cells, such as cardiac muscle cells and some smooth muscle cells. These potentials are caused by a balance between inward calcium ion currents and outward potassium ion currents. This balance results in a prolonged depolarized state, or "plateau", before the cell repolarizes.
Related Terms
- Action Potential: An action potential is a short-lasting event in which the electrical membrane potential of a cell rapidly rises and falls.
- Depolarization: Depolarization is a change within a cell, during which the cell undergoes a shift in electric charge distribution, resulting in less negative charge inside the cell.
- Repolarization: Repolarization is the change in membrane potential that returns it to a negative value just after the depolarization phase of an action potential has changed the membrane potential to a positive value.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Plateau potentials
- Wikipedia's article - Plateau potentials
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