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Discontinuous volume transitions induced by calcium-sodium ion exchange in anionic gels and their neurobiological
1Laboratory of Cell Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Biopolymers
|February 1, 1994
Abstract:
Discontinuous volume transitions in poly (acrylic acid) gels were studied by determining equilibrium swelling curves of small gel beads immersed in salt solutions containing varying concentrations of Ca2+ and Na+. Reversible contractions of gel membranes associated with Ca(2+)-Na+ exchange were examined using both isometric and isotonic recording devices. A discontinuous change in electric conductance was demonstrated in association with Ca(2+)-Na+ exchange in gel membranes. These experimental findings provide a sound physicochemical basis for elucidating the mechanism of nerve excitation.