Abstract of the 68th Meeting (Spring Meeting) 6–9 March 1990, Heidelberg

Model predictions of the ionic mechanisms underlying the beating and bursting pacemaker characteristics of molluscan neurons

The general properties of the excitable membrane on molluscan pacemaker neurons can be described on the basis of a fair amount of experimental evidence available in the literature. The neuronal membrane exhibits under voltage clamp an initial inward current carried by both Na+ and Ca2+ ions, the time- and voltage-dependent characteristics of which are similar to that of other excitable structures. The conductance mechanism for the two ion species and the transport kinetics appear to be closely similar. The time course and amplitude of the delayed outward current carried by K+ ions shows a marked dependence on the membrane potential. Characteristic for the molluscan neurons is the existence …