PARADOXICAL INHIBITION - A NEGATIVE FEEDBACK PRINCIPLE IN OSCILLATORY SYSTEMS

The state of reduced excitability induced by a local response of the excitable membrane represents a mechanism by which the rate of a pacemaker unit can be decreased by excitatory stimulation. This mechanism is called paradoxical inhibition, and is described in detail with the help of a mathematical model of the nerve membrane. The model is a modified version of FitzHugh's model, which allows the simulation of local responses and their representation in the phase plane. Neural integration is used as an example of the operation of the mechanism of paradoxical inhibition. It is concluded that paradoxical inhibition may constitute a principle of negative feedback action in systems where oscillation is the normal mode of behavior. © 1969.