Post-tetanic potentiation and depression of generator potential in a single non-myelinated nerve ending.

Repetitive activity at the non-myelinated ending of Pacinian corpuscles leaves the following after-effects: (1) With certain parameters of repetitive mechanical stimulation of the ending a depression in generator potential is produced. The effect is fully reversible and has low energy requirements. The effect is a transient decrease in responsiveness of the receptor membrane which is unrelated to changes in resting membrane potential. It appears to reflect an inactivation process of the receptor membrane. Within certain limits, the depression increases as a function of strength, frequency, and train duration of repetitive stimuli. (2) With other, more critical parameters of repetitive stimulation a hyperpolarization of the ending and of the first intracorpuscular Ranvier node may be produced. This leads to respectively post-tetanic potentiation of generator potential and increase in nodal firing threshold. The balance of these after-effects determines the threshold for the production of nerve impulses by adequate (mechanical) stimulation of the sense organ. The after-effects of activity at the node can be elicited by dromic (mechanical) stimulation of the ending, as well as by antidromic (electric) stimulation of the axon; the after-effects at the ending can only be produced by dromic and not by antidromic stimulation.