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Effects of aconitine on the slowly adapting stretch receptor neurone of the crayfish

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Summary

  1. 1.

    Aconitine in the range of 10−5 g/ml induces depolarization and discharge of action potentials in the receptor neurone of the slowly adapting stretch receptor of the crayfishAstacus astacus L.

  2. 2.

    The action of aconitine is reversible by repeated washing of the receptor.

  3. 3.

    The generator potential due to stretch of the receptor muscle is unaffected by aconitine within the range of concentrations investigated (up to 10−4 g/ml).

  4. 4.

    If the regenerative membrane elements of the receptor neurone are blocked with tetrodotoxin or if the sodium ions are removed from the Harreveldt-solution, the resting potential remains unaffected even by very high concentrations (10−3 g/ml) of aconitine. The membrane resistance of neurones pretreated with tetrodotoxin remains unaffected by additional application of aconitine.

  5. 5.

    It is concluded that the action of aconitine in the slowly adapting stretch receptor neurone of the crayfish is due to an increase in the sodium permeability of its regenerative membrane elements.

  6. 6.

    It is suggested that the mechanisms controlling other types of ionic permeabilities remain unaffected.

  7. 7.

    As a side result, in confirmation of previous authors the generator potential was found to be unaffected by tetrodotoxin.

  8. 8.

    The results are in support of the hypothesis ofPaintal on the mode of action of chemical substances on mechanoreceptors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany

    Hans-H. Wellhöner

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  1. Hans-H. Wellhöner
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A preliminary communication has been given at the 1967 Spring Meeting of the Deutsche Pharmakologische Gesellschaft [Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch. Pharmak. exp. Path.257, 350 (1967)].

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Wellhöner, HH. Effects of aconitine on the slowly adapting stretch receptor neurone of the crayfish. Pflugers Arch. 304, 104–117 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586723

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586723

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