Prolongation of Response of Node of Ranvier by Metal Ions
C. S. SPYROPOULOS 1 and
R. O. BRADY 1
1 National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
The response of the node of Ranvier can be prolonged up to 5 to 6 seconds by addition to the medium of minute amounts of certain metal ions. This prolongation involves a change from a triangular to a rectangular configuration. The properties of the prolonged nerve-fiber responses are very similar to those of heart muscle.