Sodium and potassium currents recorded during an action potential

A simple method was used to measure directly sodium and potassium currents underlying the action potential in single nerve fibres of Xenopus laevis. A short rectangular stimulus under current-clamp conditions elicited an action potential which was digitally stored and later used as command when voltage-clamping the same fibre. The currents thus obtained nearly reproduced the original rectangular stimulus. Adding first 100 nM TTX and subsequently 100 nM TTX plus 10 mM TEA to the extracellular Ringer solution revealed the sodium and the potassium currents during an action potential. They were converted to permeabilities by use of the constant-field equation and are in good agreement with the curves which had been calculated from conventional voltage-clamp data. Thus experimentally determined currents and permeabilities are shown as they are changing during an action potential.