ADAPTATION IN STRETCH RECEPTOR NEURONS OF CRAYFISH

Abstract

Two factors involved in the adaptation in stretch receptor cells of crayfish were separated and studied: (i) the decline of the rate of discharge during intracellular application of constant current and (ii) the decline of generator potential during sustained stretch. The change in generator potential with time was essentially identical in both rapidly and slowly adapting cells. The slowly adapting cells continued to discharge throughout the application of depolarizing currents, whereas the rapidly adapting cells stopped discharging while the current was applied. The different rates of adaptation are therefore attributable to the difference in the properties of the electrically excitable membranes rather than the properties which produce generator potentials.