Bioelectricity

Bioelectricity, in developmental biology, is the use of membrane voltage and ion-flux patterns as signals that coordinate cell behavior and carry information about large-scale anatomical pattern.

Pattern signals

Every cell maintains a membrane potential, and the voltage patterns across a tissue — set by ion channels, pumps, and gap junctions that electrically couple cells — vary systematically with position and developmental state. Michael Levin and collaborators showed that these patterns carry instructive information: altering voltage gradients in planarian flatworms changes the head shape the animal regenerates, and forcing specific voltage changes in frog embryos induces eyes to form at ectopic sites, including from gut