The induction of periodic and chaotic activity in a molluscan neurone

Abstract
During prolonged exposure to extracellular 4-aminopyridine (4 AP) the periodic activity of the somatic membrane of an identified molluscan neurone passes from a repetitive regular discharge of >90 mV amplitude action potentials, through double discharges to <50 mV amplitude oscillations. Return to standard saline causes the growth of parabolic amplitude-modulated oscillations that develop, through chaotic amplitude-modulated oscillations, into regular oscillations. These effects are interpreted in terms of the actions of 4 AP on the dynamics of the membrane excitation equations.