title: Electrical properties of oligodendrocytes in culture.
abstract: The electrical properties of immunocytologically identified oligondendrocytes from embryonic mouse spinal cord maintained in culture for 3 to 6 weeks studied by passing current and recording potential changes with two separate intracellular electrodes. The average input resistance was 3.3 M omega and ranged from 0.7 to 16 M omega (n = 35). The input resistance increased by 19% with depolarization and decreased by 9% with hyperpolarization of 25 mV. The membrane time constant determined from the slope of the late exponential tail was 3.45 +/- 2.5 ms SD (n = 15). The specific membrane resistance of three cells was determined by a simplified square pulse analysis combined with measurement of membrane area. Membrane area was estimated from photomicrographs of cells injected with Lucifer Yellow CH and stained with the cell surface-reactive antibody 04 and from electron micrographs. An average specific membrane resistance of 1.3 X 10(3) omega cm2 and specific capacitance of 1.7 mu F/cm2 were calculated. Increasing [K+]o depolarized the cells and decreased the input resistance and the time constant.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005110:Extracellular Space; D051379:Mice / Q000196:embryology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D011188:Potassium