A model for the fast 4-aminopyridine effects on amphibian myelinated nerve fibres. A study based on voltage-clamp experiments

Abstract

The effect of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on the potassium currents in the node of Ranvier in myelinated nerve fibres was investigated with the voltage-clamp technique. The potential and time dependence of the currents in solutions with a high potassium concentration (114.5 mM) were studied. The block of the tail current was found to be less than that of the corresponding current during a potential step. Also, the time-course of the tail current was modified. In order to explain these findings, kinetic models of the 4-AP action were constructed and analysed numerically. A simple four-state model, in which 4-AP interacts only with open channels and where the binding is diphasically potential dependent, was found to account for the effects.