Abstract
A BASIC step in the functioning of chemically operating synapses is the effect of the transmitter substance on the postsynaptic membrane. Although in some synapses the transmitter acts on ion “pumping” mechanisms1, perhaps the most common mode of action of a transmitter is the opening of additional ionic pathways in the postsynaptic membrane2. The study of these changes in permeability is of importance because it can throw some light on the nature of the transmitter. An important aspect of such a study is the measurement of the equilibrium potential of transmitter action; that is, the level of membrane potential which exactly balances the electromotive forces of the ionic pathways opened by the transmitter, and at which the synaptic potential is zero. Beyond this level the synaptic potential is reversed in direction.
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MILEDI, R. Transmitter Action in the Giant Synapse of the Squid. Nature 223, 1284–1286 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/2231284a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2231284a0
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