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Action Potentials

Action Potentials

Action Potential

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...

Action Potential

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...

Fixed Action Patterns

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

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In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis. This...

Action Potential: Phases of Stimulation

Action Potential: Phases of Stimulation

The action potential is a complex electrical event that occurs in excitable cells, such as neurons and muscle cells. It consists of several distinct phases, each with specific characteristics.
Resting Phase:
In this phase, the cell's membrane is at its resting potential, typically around -70 millivolts (mV) for neurons. Inside the cell, there is a higher concentration of potassium ions (K+) and a lower concentration of sodium ions (Na+). Voltage-gated sodium channels are closed, and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Forming, Confining, and Observing Microtubule-Based Active Nematics

Forming, Confining, and Observing Microtubule-Based Active Nematics

Published on: January 13, 2023

Excitable patterns in active nematics.

L Giomi¹, L Mahadevan, B Chakraborty

¹School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|June 25, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

We found that active filaments in a solvent can exhibit complex dynamics, including oscillations and chaotic behavior, driven by their collective motion and interactions. This research explores self-organization in active matter systems.

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Area of Science:

Soft Matter Physics
Active Matter Systems
Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics

Background:

Mutually propelled filaments in a solvent are a model for active matter.
These systems can exhibit phase transitions, such as isotropic-nematic transitions, influenced by filament concentration.
Understanding the dynamics of active filaments is crucial for comprehending self-organization in biological and synthetic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze a model of mutually propelled filaments in a 2D solvent.
To investigate the emergence of complex dynamics, including oscillations and chaos, in such systems.
To explore the role of nonuniform nematic order, activity, and flow in driving these dynamics.

Main Methods:

Mean-field analysis of filament suspensions.
Modeling of spatially and temporally varying nematic order parameter.
Investigation of the interplay between nematic order, activity, and fluid flow.

Main Results:

The system exhibits a mean-field isotropic-nematic transition at sufficient filament concentrations.
Nonuniform nematic order, activity, and flow lead to spatially modulated relaxation oscillations.
At higher activity levels, the system transitions to chaotic dynamics, characterized by bursts of elastic distortion and solvent pumping.

Conclusions:

Active filament suspensions can display rich non-equilibrium dynamics, including excitable behavior and chaos.
The interplay of nematic order, activity, and flow is key to generating these complex spatio-temporal patterns.
This model provides insights into self-organization and emergent phenomena in active matter.