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Electrogenic Properties of Acetylcholine

Nature volume 159, page 307 (1947)Cite this article

Abstract

FOLLOWING the classical work of Dale on acetylcholine, numerous investigators have demonstrated the important part played by this quaternary amine in the nervous system1. A neglected property of acetylcholine is its extraordinary electrogenic action at the phase boundary between oils and aqueous solutions2. This negative phase boundary potential provides a possible explanation of the electrical component of the nerve impulse in cholinergic nerves3. It seems reasonable to suppose that the action potential4 might arise from the contact of acetylcholine with the lipoid layer of the nerve fibre according to the theory of phase-boundary potentials5. Moreover, it has been shown that acetylcholine produces a negative electrical potential on living frog skin6.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia,

    T. CUNLIFFE BARNES & K. BEUTNER

Authors
  1. T. CUNLIFFE BARNES
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  2. K. BEUTNER
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BARNES, T., BEUTNER, K. Electrogenic Properties of Acetylcholine. Nature 159, 307 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/159307a0

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