Kinetics of excitable membranes. Voltage amplification in a diffusion regime.

An understanding of the properties of excitable membranes requires the calculation of ion flow through the membrane, including the effects of nonuniformity in the transverse membrane properties (mobilities, fixed charge, electric field). Permeability is apparently controlled at the external interface. Two factors may be involved here: the statistical blocking of pores by divalent cations, and activation energy. Only the former is included in the present treatment. When the total transmembrane voltage is varied, a redistribution in ionic concentration occurs. This can cause a change in boundary (zeta) potential, large in comparison with the applied voltage change-"voltage amplification." The result is a steep change in membrane conductance. The calculated flow curves are compared with experimental results. The Appendix gives an outline of the numerical method used for solving the boundary value problem with several diffusible ions, across a nonuniform regime.