repolariseres

Repolariseres is a Danish verb meaning to be repolarized or to repolarize. In physiology, repolarisation denotes the process by which a cell’s membrane potential returns to its resting value after depolarization during an action potential. The term is used in biology to describe neurons and cardiac muscle cells.

In neurons, repolarisation follows the peak of the action potential and is driven mainly by outward potassium currents as voltage-gated K+ channels open and sodium channels inactivate. The membrane potential moves back toward the resting potential, restoring the neuron’s ability to fire again after the refractory period.

In cardiac myocytes, repolarisation helps terminate the action potential and re-establishes the resting state between beats. It involves several potassium currents (such as IKr, IKs, and Ito) and a decrease in inward calcium and sodium currents. The timing of repolarisation shapes the ventricular refractory period and the overall cardiac cycle.

Clinical relevance: Abnormal repolarisation can cause electrocardiogram changes and arrhythmias. Prolonged repolarisation (long QT) increases the risk of torsades de pointes; electrolyte disturbances, drugs, ischemia, or genetic channelopathies can affect repolarisation and the heart’s rhythm.

Repolarisation is a general phenomenon in excitable tissues, contrasted with depolarisation, the initial rise in membrane potential. In medical literature the term is often discussed alongside measurements such as the QT interval on the ECG.