The reversal of electrical charges on the sarcolemma in response to a nerve impulse is referred to as?

Depolarization refers to the process in which the electrical charges on the sarcolemma, or the cell membrane of muscle fibers, become reversed in response to a nerve impulse. Under normal circumstances, the inside of the sarcolemma is negatively charged relative to the outside. When a nerve impulse reaches the muscle cell, ion channels open allowing sodium ions to flow into the cell, causing the interior to become more positively charged. This change from a negative to a positive charge is what we call depolarization.

This process is critical for muscle contraction, as it initiates the cascade of events that leads to the activation of muscle fibers. Understanding depolarization is essential for comprehending how muscles respond to nervous signals, making it a foundational concept in both anatomy and physiology regarding action potential generation in muscle cells.