Abstract
Potassium-sensitive microelectrodes were used to study activity-dependent changes of extracellular potassium ion concentration ([K+] o) in rat optic nerves of different postnatal ages (1 day to adulthood). The maximum level to which [K+]o rose with optimal frequencies of stimulation depended on age: mean maximum evoked [K +]o was 17.2 mM in 1- to 3-day-old optic nerves and 9.8 mM in adult nerves. The ceiling [K+]o seen in immature optic nerves, which is uniquely large for a mammalian central nervous system structure, may result from a relatively enhanced rate of evoked K+ release.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1341-1343 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Science |
| Volume | 216 |
| Issue number | 4552 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1982 |
| Externally published | Yes |