Conductance fluctuations in Ranvier nodes.

Voltage fluctuations associated with the sodium system were measured upon elimination of the potassium current in the nodal membrane by internal application of cesium-ions. The intensity of this noise reaches a maximal value at a membrane potential in the vicinity of --40 mV. Here the power spectrum consists of two additive components: a 1/f component and a Lorentzian. The Lorentzian is associated with h-gate kinetics and is consistent with the binary state conduction model. On the basis of this model the sodium-channel conductance is calculated to be 2 to 5-10(-12) S. The analysis is complicated by the existence of an incomplete slow sodium inactivation process.