Rapid artificial restoration of electrical continuity across a crush lesion of a giant axon.

Action potentials never conducted through a crush lesion to the medial giant axon in the earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) if the axon was exposed to normal or hypotonic salines that did not contain polyethylene glycol. However, action potentials, as well as electrotonic potentials, often conducted through a crush lesion exposed for 1 min to polyethylene glycol in hypotonic saline.