Sodium channels: grit, determination, and persistence

Persistent sodium channel activity modulates neuronal gain in a neurotransmitter-dependent fashion. Previous studies have suggested that persistent and spike-related sodium channel activities are mediated by separate species. In this issue of Neuron, Taddese and Bean (2002) show that a single channel population is sufficient to explain both gating behaviors. A simple allosteric model is provided that can explain the results.