Abstract
1. Voltage-clamp experiments were carried out using the three microelectrode technique. Using this method membrane current density at V1 is proportional to deltaV( = V2 - V1) where V1 and V2 are voltages at distances 1 and 21 from the end of a fibre. Voltage dependent sodium currents were blocked by tetrodotoxin, potassium by tetraethylammonium ions and rubidium. Contraction was blocked by adding sucrose, 467 mM. 2. The current deltaV (control) associated with a positive voltage step from a hyperpolarized conditioning voltage to the holding potential, -80 mV, showed two components, a capacitative transient which decayed rapidly and a maintained steady level...