The refractory period is a brief interval following an action potential during which a neuron is unable to fire another action potential. This period ensures that action potentials travel along neurons in one direction and allows the neuron to reset before firing again.
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Action Potential: A rapid rise and subsequent fall in voltage or membrane potential across a cellular membrane, allowing neurons to transmit signals.
Neuron: A nerve cell that transmits electrical and chemical signals in the body; the fundamental unit of the nervous system.
Membrane Potential: The difference in electric potential between the interior and the exterior of a biological cell, crucial for the transmission of nerve impulses