Activated inhibition in regulating excitability.

(Opening paragraph) The development of the nervous system requires precise and coordinated activities of multiple signalling pathways. In order for a neurone to become a functional component of the network it needs to know its abilities and limitations. These two main features of any neurone are determined by the set point of the excitability, which regulates its operational range. This in turn is determined by sodium, calcium (Ca2+) and potassium (K+) channels, the activities of which depend on the membrane voltage, which in turn is affected by synaptic inputs.