THE EFFECTS OF DIRECT CURRENTS UPON THE ELECTRICAL EXCITABILITY OF NERVE

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The changes of electrical excitability produced by application of direct current (d.c.) were studied in cat''s myelinated nerves, either circulated or excised. There may be an increase or a decrease of excitability at the anode or the cathode during or after the passage of d.c. The following factors influence the results obtained: a, distance between the d.c. electrodes; b, voltage of the d.c; c, distance of the points tested to the d.c. poles; d, duration of the test shocks; e, interelectrodal distance for the test stimuli. The changes of excitability are due to modifications of both the voltage and the time parameters of the voltage-capacity curves. The distr. of effects along the nerves may be more complicated than has been assumed hitherto. For a given application of d.c. the change at the anode does not permit predicting the effect at the cathode, and vice versa. Similarly, the aftereffects at either pole cannot be predicted from the effects seen during the application. The results are discussed in relation to the problem of the action of d.c. upon nerve ana in relation to theories of electrical excitability.

This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit: