refractory
The deadly nerve gas Sarin irreversibly inhibits acetycholinesterase. What effect would Sarin have on muscle contraction? After depolarization, the membrane returns to its resting state. This is called repolarization, during which voltagegated sodium channels close. Potassium channels continue at 90% conductance. Because the plasma membrane sodiumpotassium ATPase always transports ions, the resting state negatively charged inside relative to the outside is restored. The period immediately following the transmission of an impulse in a nerve or muscle, in which a neuron or muscle cell regains its ability to transmit another impulse, is called the refractory period. During the refractory period, the membrane cannot generate another action potential. The refractory period allows the voltage-sensitive ion channels to return to their resting configurations. The sodium potassium ATPase continually moves Na+ back out of the cell and K+ back into the cell, and the K+ leaks out leaving negative charge behind. Very quickly, the membrane repolarizes, so that it can again be depolarized.