Accommodation related to the action of ethanol on frog sciatic nerve

Index of accommodation of 32 frog sciatic nerves was studied with exponentially rising currents. Ethanol was mixed with normal Ringer's solution at the following concentrations: 42, 85, 171, and 513 mM. We found a significant increase in the accommodation index. The results were attributed to the sodium conductance change and to a drop in membrane potential elicited by ethanol. The loss of the breakdown in the nerve accommodation curve was interpreted as the ethanol acting mainly on the thinner nerve fibres rather than on the large fibres.