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Related Experiment Videos

Activity-dependent changes in impulse conduction in normal human cutaneous axons

T A Miller1, M C Kiernan, I Mogyoros

  • 1Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney, Australia.

Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|October 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Axonal hyperpolarization in human cutaneous afferents does not cause conduction block. Activity-dependent hyperpolarization leads to temporal dispersion, not failure, in nerve impulse transmission.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • Neural transmission relies on axonal excitability.
  • Activity-dependent changes in excitability can influence nerve impulse propagation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if axonal hyperpolarization impairs neural transmission in human cutaneous afferents.
  • To determine the effects of activity-dependent hyperpolarization on nerve impulse conduction.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed axonal excitability using conditioned submaximal and supramaximal stimuli in 25 human subjects.
  • Applied a train of 10 supramaximal stimuli at 200 Hz to induce hyperpolarization.
  • Measured changes in amplitude and latency of compound sensory potentials.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • A depression in axonal excitability was observed for up to 100 ms post-stimulation, attributed to slow K+ conductance.
  • Small, significant activity-dependent decreases in amplitude (up to 20 ms) and increases in latency (up to 70 ms) were recorded.
  • Amplitude reduction and latency increase were proportional to conduction distance.

    • Conclusions:

    • The safety margin for impulse generation in normal cutaneous afferents is high, preventing conduction block from activity-dependent hyperpolarization.
    • Observed reductions in compound sensory action potential amplitude are likely due to temporal dispersion, not conduction failure.
    • Conduction failure in normal cutaneous axons does not occur solely via activation of slow K+ conductances.