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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Historical View and Physiology Demonstration at the NMJ of the Crayfish Opener Muscle
Published on: November 9, 2009
Macrocurrents of voltage gated Na+ and K+ channels from the crayfish stretch receptor neuronal soma
1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Currents from the slowly adapting stretch receptor neuron of the crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) were studied in a cell attached configuration using patch pipettes with an opening diameter of 2-10 microm. The neuronal membrane was enzymatically freed from the glial layer. The voltage gated Na+ and K+ channels seemed to be more concentrated in the lower part of soma close to the axon hillock. The Na+ and K+ currents could be analysed by fitting the currents to a fourth-order exponential function for Na+ current and a second-order exponential function for the K+ current. The macropatch recordings of enzymatically treated neurons are superior to two electrode voltage clamp recordings when analyzing voltage gated Na+ and K+ currents.
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