| excitable | 1. Capable of quick response to a stimulus; having potentiality for emotional arousal. Compare: irritable. 2. In neurophysiology, referring to a tissue, cell, or membrane capable of undergoing excitation in response to an adequate stimulus. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| excitable area | Area of the frontal lobe concerned with primary motor control. It lies anterior to the central sulcus. (12 Dec 1998) |
| excitable cell | <cell biology, physiology> A cell in which the membrane response to depolarisations is nonlinear, causing amplification and propagation of the depolarisation (an action potential). Apart from neurons and muscle cells, electrical excitability can be observed in fertilized eggs, some plants and glandular tissue. Excitable cells contain voltage gated ion channels. (18 Nov 1997) |
| excitable gap | A short period in the cycle of the atrioventricular or intraventricular conduction allowing passage of an impulse which at other times would be blocked in transit. Synonym: excitable gap. (05 Mar 2000) |