title: Propagation of voltage transients in arborized neurites of Retzius cells of the leech in culture.
abstract: Propagation of electrical signals is studied in Retzius cells of the leech in culture using voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes at a spatial resolution of 8 x 8 microns 2 and 14 x 14 microns 2 and at a sampling interval of 0.12 ms. The neurons are stimulated by a microelectrode impaled in the soma. Action potentials of a half width of 2-3 ms are triggered close to the end of the primary neurite dissociated from the leech. They propagate back to the soma at invariant half width at a velocity of 50-230 microns/ms. They pervade extended aborized secondary neurites which are grown on extracellular matrix protein. Their width is enhanced up to a factor two. The velocity is around 100-150 microns/ms such that delays up to 3.5 ms are observed. Accordingly the neuritic trees are not isopotential. The features of propagation are found to be incompatible with passive spread.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Biophysik, Universität Ulm, Ulm-Eselsberg, Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fromherz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vetter
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005724:Ganglia / Q000502:physiology*; D007865:Leeches; D008839:Microelectrodes; D016501:Neurites / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes