EFFECTS OF A SLOW POTASSIUM PERMEABILITY ON REPETITIVE ACTIVITY OF THE FROG NODE OF RANVIER

Adding a potassium permeability with slow kinetics to the Frankenhaeuser-Huxley equations describing action potential generation at a frog node of Ranvier has a twofold effect on the maintained repetitive firing the model can show. If the contribution of the slow to the total potassium permeability is increased, the maintained discharge frequency for a given stimulating current experiences a decrease. On the other hand, addition of the slow channel narrows the range of currents for which the model can generate repetitive activity. If as little as 6.2% of the total potassium permeability are provided by the slow channels, the Frankenhaeuser-Huxley equations completely lose the ability to show maintained firing. The introduction of the slow potassium current abolishes especially repetitive activity at low values of stimulating current. This effect is so marked that the minimal discharge frequency the model can maintain increases with increasing contribution of the slow channel. Therefore, an important purpose of the slow potassium channel present at the frog nodal membrane could consist of preventing the node of Ranvier from generating consistent firing on its own. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.