People are judged by their actions, and these actions are coordinated by nerve cells and carried out by muscle cells. So an understanding of nerve and muscle is fundamental to our knowledge of how the human body functions.

This book provides an introductory account of how nerve and muscle cells work, suitable for students taking university courses in physiology, cell biology or preclinical medicine. It aims to give a straightforward exposition of the fundamentals of the subject, including particularly some of the experimental evidence upon which our conclusions are based. This edition includes new material reflecting the exciting discoveries that continue to be made in the field. So there is up-to-date detail on topics such as the ion channels involved in electrical activity and the molecular mechanisms of muscular contraction.