STABILIZATION OF SPIDER CRAB NERVE MEMBRANES BY ALKALINE EARTHS, AS MANIFESTED IN RESTING POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS

Abstract

The alkaline earths, Ba, Sr, Ca, and Mg, in iso-tonic solns. of their chlorides, have no effect upon the resting potential of non-medullated spider crab nerve. Ba, Sr, and Ca can, however, prevent the depressing action of K upon the resting potential. The order of effectiveness of these ions in this regard is the following: Ba > Sr > Ca. Ba, Sr, Ca, and Mg oppose the depressing action of vera-trine sulfate upon the resting potential. The order of effectiveness is Ba > Sr > Ca > Mg. The relation between drop in potential caused by veratrine sulfate and the logarithm of the veratrine sulfate conc. is a linear one. The action of various other organic ions and molecules which depress the resting potential: saponin, amyl urethane, chloral hydrate, and Na salicylate is neutralized by Ba. Hypertonic sea water solns. do not affect the resting potential. The nerves apparently do not shrink in hyper-tonic solns. although they swell in hypotonic sea water. The alkaline earths depress excitability reversibly. The various organic agents which depress the resting potential also depress excitability, in most cases, reversibly, but the concs. necessary to depress excitability are much smaller than those necessary to depress the resting potential. The relation of these findings to theories put forward as possible explanations of resting potential phenomena is considered.