Abstract
THE experimental results of voltage noise analyses for the potassium channel system in frog nerve membranes are inconsistent with the theoretical expectations: the measured noise intensity should decrease at positive membrane potentials, where an increase is found1,2. The theories3–7 are based upon the empirical Hodgkin–Huxley equations, and therefore “…cover only the short term responses of the membrane…”8. Our noise experiments were made in the stationary state. A recent report suggests Hodgkin–Huxley kinetics for potassium noise currents measured earlier after changes in membrane potential9. Taken together these results suggest, however, that the potassium channel system changes its behaviour in time with respect to its noise pattern, which implies the occurrence of structural changes in time. We show here that the potassium channel system does indeed change structurally during long duration voltage steps.
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VAN DEN BERG, R., SIEBENGA, E. & BRUIN, G. Potassium ion noise currents and inactivation in voltage-clamped node of Ranvier. Nature 265, 177–179 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/265177a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/265177a0
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