Editing Action potential (section)

===Neuromuscular junctions===
{{Main|Neuromuscular junction|Acetylcholine receptor|Cholinesterase enzyme}}

A special case of a chemical synapse is the [[neuromuscular junction]], in which the [[axon]] of a [[motor neuron]] terminates on a [[muscle fiber]].<ref group=lower-alpha>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hirsch NP | title = Neuromuscular junction in health and disease | journal = British Journal of Anaesthesia | volume = 99 | issue = 1 | pages = 132–8 | date = July 2007 | pmid = 17573397 | doi = 10.1093/bja/aem144 | df = dmy-all | doi-access = free }}</ref> In such cases, the released neurotransmitter is [[acetylcholine]], which binds to the acetylcholine receptor, an integral membrane protein in the membrane (the ''[[sarcolemma]]'') of the muscle fiber.<ref group=lower-alpha>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hughes BW, Kusner LL, Kaminski HJ | title = Molecular architecture of the neuromuscular junction | journal = Muscle & Nerve | volume = 33 | issue = 4 | pages = 445–61 | date = April 2006 | pmid = 16228970 | doi = 10.1002/mus.20440 | s2cid = 1888352 }}</ref> However, the acetylcholine does not remain bound; rather, it dissociates and is [[hydrolysis|hydrolyzed]] by the enzyme, [[acetylcholinesterase]], located in the synapse. This enzyme quickly reduces the stimulus to the muscle, which allows the degree and timing of muscular contraction to be regulated delicately. Some poisons inactivate acetylcholinesterase to prevent this control, such as the [[nerve agent]]s [[sarin]] and [[tabun (nerve agent)|tabun]],<ref name=Newmark group=lower-alpha>{{cite journal | vauthors = Newmark J | title = Nerve agents | journal = The Neurologist | volume = 13 | issue = 1 | pages = 20–32 | date = January 2007 | pmid = 17215724 | doi = 10.1097/01.nrl.0000252923.04894.53 | s2cid = 211234081 }}</ref> and the insecticides [[diazinon]] and [[malathion]].<ref group=lower-alpha>{{cite journal | vauthors = Costa LG | title = Current issues in organophosphate toxicology | journal = Clinica Chimica Acta; International Journal of Clinical Chemistry | volume = 366 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 1–13 | date = April 2006 | pmid = 16337171 | doi = 10.1016/j.cca.2005.10.008 }}</ref>