Hodgkin-Huxley axon. Increased modulation and linearity of response to constant current stimulus

Repetitive response patterns resembling those of tonic receptors were obtained by increasing the potassium system time constant in the Hodgkin-Huxley (H-H) equations. The increase in time constant varied with membrane potential. Calculated spike frequencies varied linearly with the magnitude of the constant current stimulus; in addition, minimum frequencies were greatly reduced, and the frequency range increased. Modification of the maximum ionic conductances, membrane capacitance, and rate constant voltage dependence was found to vary the minimum frequency, current at that frequency, slope, and over-all modulation of the modified responses.