The cardiac action potential differs from the neuronal action potential by having an extended plateau, in which the membrane is held at a high voltage for a few hundred milliseconds prior to being repolarized by the potassium current as usual.<ref name=Kleber group=lower-alpha /> This plateau is due to the action of slower [[calcium]] channels opening and holding the membrane voltage near their equilibrium potential even after the sodium channels have inactivated. | The cardiac action potential differs from the neuronal action potential by having an extended plateau, in which the membrane is held at a high voltage for a few hundred milliseconds prior to being repolarized by the potassium current as usual.<ref name=Kleber group=lower-alpha /> This plateau is due to the action of slower [[calcium]] channels opening and holding the membrane voltage near their equilibrium potential even after the sodium channels have inactivated. |