Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Transient Responses of Purkinje Fibres to Non-uniform Currents

Abstract

COMPARISONS between experimentally recorded responses of cardiac muscle to applied currents1–3 and responses predicted by a modified form of the Hodgkin–Huxley nerve equations4 have led to conflicting conclusions about the applicability of these equations to the cardiac cell membrane2,4,5. The existence of a negative membrane conductance in the equations means that strong enough inward currents applied uniformly to the membrane during the plateau of the action potential should initiate an all-or-nothing repolarization response. Fig. 1 shows computed responses to uniform currents.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cranefield, P. F., and Hoffman, B. F., J. Gen. Physiol., 41, 633 (1958). Hoffman, B. F., and Cranefield, P. F., Electrophysiology of the Heart (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1960).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Johnson, E. A., and Tille, J., Austral. J. Exp. Biol. Med. Sci., 38, 509 (1960); Nature, 192, 663 (1961).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Weidmann, S., J. Physiol., 115, 227 (1951). Elekrophysiologie der Herzmuskelfaser (Hans Huber, Berne, 1956).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Noble, D., Nature, 188, 495 (1960); J. Physiol., 160, 317 (1962); Proc. Intern. Cong. Physiol. Sci., (Leyden), 1, 177 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Woodbury, J. W., Biophysics of Physiological and Pharmacological Actions, edit. by Shanes, 501 (1961); Handbook of Physiology, Sec. 2 Circ., 1, 237 (1962).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Noble, D., Biophysic. J., 2, 381 (1962). Noble, D., and Hall, A. E., ibid., 3, 261 (1963). Hall, A. E., and Noble, D., J. Physiol., 165, 18 P (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Crank, J., and Nicolson, P., Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc., 43, 50 (1947).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Modern Computing Methods, 116 (National Physical Laboratory, H.M.S.O., 1961).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

HALL, A., NOBLE, D. Transient Responses of Purkinje Fibres to Non-uniform Currents. Nature 199, 1294–1295 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/1991294a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1991294a0

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing