The electric organ is a myogenic organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field, a behavior used for navigation as well as communication in natural environments. A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle (from Latin musculus little mouse [1]) is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. ... An electric fish is a fish that can generate electric field]s. ... It has been suggested that optical field be merged into this article or section. ...

Electrocytes

Electrocytes, electroplaques or electroplaxes are cells used by rays, electric eels and other electric fish for electrogenesis and electroreception. They are flat disk-like cells that are stacked in a sequence in a manner similar to a battery. Electric eels have several thousand of these cells stacked, each producing 0.15V. The cells function by pumping positive sodium and potassium ions out of the cell via transport proteins powered by adenosine triphosphate. Postsynaptically, electrocytes work much like muscle cells. They have nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These cells are used in research because of their resemblance to nerve-muscle junctions. Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hook from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell. Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green). ... Families Narcinidae Torpedinidae hi Electric rays (order Torpediniformes) are fish that have a rounded body and a pair of organs capable of producing an electric discharge, which is used to stun or kill prey. ... Binomial name Electrophorus electricus (Linnaeus, 1766) The electric eel, Electrophorus electricus, is a species of fish. ... An electric fish is a fish that can generate electric field]s. ... It has been suggested that Electrolytic process be merged into this article or section. ... Electroreception, sometimes written as electroception, is the biological ability to receive and make use of electrical impulses. ... Adenosine 5-triphosphate (ATP) is a multifunctional nucleotide that is most important as a molecular currency of intracellular energy transfer. ... A synapse is a connection between two neurons: presynaptic and postsynaptic. ... Structure of a skeletal muscle Muscle is one of the four tissue types. ... Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are ionotropic receptors that form ion channels in cells plasma membranes. ...

Firing

To discharge the electrocytes at the correct time, the electric eel uses its pacemaker nucleus, a nucleus of pacemaker neurons. When an electric eel spots its prey, the pacemaker neurons fire and acetylcholine is subsequently released from electromotor neurons to the electrocytes, resulting in an electric organ discharge. In neuroanatomy, a nucleus is a central nervous system structure that is composed mainly of gray matter, and which acts as a hub or transit point for electrical signals in a single neural subsystem. ... Neurons (also called nerve cells) are the primary cells of the nervous system. ... The chemical compound acetylcholine, often abbreviated as ACh, was the first neurotransmitter to be identified. ...

Location

In the electric Torpedo Ray, electroplaxes are found near the pectoral muscles and the gills. In all other fishes, it is often near the tail. In one fish genus, Malaptaturus, the electric organs are not made of individual electroplax, but are built up from charges of the epithelium, specifically the skin.

Electric Organ Discharge

Electric organ discharge (EOD) is the electric discharge generated by the organs of animals including electric fish. In some cases the electric discharge is strong and is used for protection from predators, in other cases it is weak and it is used for navigation and communication.