Membrane Resistance Changes in the Course of Axonal Spikes Modified by Low Na + Concentration

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Abstract
The size, duration and propagation velocity of the axonal spike are known to be altered by changing the environmental Na concn. This means of reversibly altering the properties of the spike affords an opportunity to study the course of the correlated resistance changes of the excitable membrane during activity of the nerve fiber. Data presented here from expts. with the giant axons of the squid (Loligo pealii) demonstrate that the correlated temporal courses and magnitudes of the spike and of the resistance change are both functions of the external Na concn. This correlation is of special importance to theoretical concepts of the processes involved in excitation and propagation.

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