In physiology, a slow-wave potential is a membrane potential that cycles between depolarizations and repolarizations. Slow wave potentials are generated by myocytes. Due to temporal summation, a slow-wave potential will periodically reach threshold and generate an action potential. This in turn triggers contraction of a myocyte. Since each cycle of a slow-wave potential does not always reach threshold, an action potential (AP) does not always fire as a result. Slow waves are intrinsic: they do not rely on exogenous stimulus, but they can be altered by an exogenous stimulus.
Read more about Slow-wave Potential: In Gastrointestinal Smooth Muscle, In Uterine Smooth Muscle, Causes
Famous quotes containing the word potential:
“The germ of violence is laid bare in the child abuser by the sheer accident of his individual experience ... in a word, to a greater degree than we like to admit, we are all potential child abusers.”
—F. Gonzalez-Crussi, Mexican professor of pathology, author. “Reflections on Child Abuse,” Notes of an Anatomist (1985)