Abstract
The reversal potential refers to the membrane potential at which the current changes its flowing direction. For electrophysiological measurements, the change in direction can either mean inward currents becoming outward currents at a specific voltage or vice versa. Using reversal potential measurements allows the experimenter to determine ion specificity of a receptor/channel as well as the driving force of ions through the receptor/channel at a given voltage. For example, if the reversal potential measured for a given channel is close the reversal potential for K+, it is likely that the receptor/channel is predominantly permeable to K+. This chapter discusses the approaches that can be used to measure the reversal potentials of the isolated currents. In addition, we discuss technical considerations that can enhance the accuracy of the measurements.
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Notes
- 1.
The idea that conductance can be calculated by dividing current by voltage should not be too much of a surprise. If we refer to Ohm’s law (V = IR), the resistance is the reciprocal of conductance making the equation V = I(1/C), where C is the conductance. Solving for C gives, C = I/V.
References
Walz W, Boulton AA, Baker GB (2002) Patch-clamp analysis: advanced techniques. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Axon Instruments (1993) The Axon guide for electrophysiology & biophysics laboratory techniques. Axon Instruments, Foster City, CA
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Graziane, N., Dong, Y. (2016). Measuring Reversal Potentials. In: Electrophysiological Analysis of Synaptic Transmission. Neuromethods, vol 112. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3274-0_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3274-0_13
Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-3273-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-3274-0
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