Ion channels are the molecular building blocks of cell membranes that conduct electrical signals.
Taken together the membranes and the channels are a biological analog to silicon based transistors, rectifiers and resistors. And like electronic circuits they can transduce complex electric signals that carry a rich body of information and can be used in a huge number of applications. All perception, behavior, memory, thought and movement in higher animals are manifestations of the generation, propagation, enhancement and attenuation of electrical signals down the length of and between electrically-excitable cells. These phenomena arise from the interaction of a large network of individual cells, many of which have differing electrical properties. Multiple inputs can impinge upon a single cell and that cell can integrate the inputs producing the equivalence of logical 'or', ' and' and 'nor' functions that are undoubtedly important in the generation of neuronal plasticity.