MECHANICAL, THERMAL, AND OPTICAL SIGNS OF EXCITATION IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

在本财政年度的大部分时间里，我们集中在 阐明快速结构变化的物理化学基础 在与兴奋过程相关的神经纤维和细胞中。 神经纤维和细胞经历快速结构变化的事实 当他们兴奋的时候，就被发现并在这个实验室建立。 因此，我们认为非常重要的是将我们的努力引导到 阐明这些快速的结构变化是如何由电子引起的 刺激可兴奋的组织。本着这一目标，我们扩大了我们的 不连续体积相变现象的分析 与无生命阴离子凝胶中的钙-钠离子交换有关。我们 用自由基共聚合法制备了凝胶样品。 通过测定凝胶的膨胀度作为摩尔分数的函数 对于溶液中的二价阳离子，建立了相图。 通过记录薄凝胶膜的快速收缩， 确定从肿胀状态到收缩状态的转变速度 澄清了。最后，根据这些研究的结果，我们有 提出了一种新的激发过程的物理化学解释。 在神经纤维和细胞中。 在本财年的5月份，我们开始调查机械和 电子器官中激发过程的热征兆 电鳗。对我们来说，表现出快速肿胀并不困难 与生产相关的功能单元、电镀 一种动作潜势。虽然我们的研究还处于早期阶段， 我们期待着在我们的基础上获得重要的实验支持 关于神经兴奋机制的看法。

We have concentrated, during the major portion of this fiscal year, on elucidation of the physico-chemical basis of the rapid structural changes in the nerve fibers and cells associated with the excitation process. The fact that nerve fibers and cells undergo rapid structural changes when they are excited was discovered and established in this laboratory. Hence, we deem it highly important to direct our efforts toward elucidating how these rapid structural changes are evoked by electric stimulation of excitable tissues. With this aim, we have expanded our analysis of the phenomenon of discontinuous volume phase transition associated with Ca-Na ion- exchange in inanimate anionic gels. We prepared gel samples by free radical copolyinerization of acrylic acid. By determining the degree of gel swelling as a function of mole fraction of the divalent cations in the solution, a phase-diagram was constructed. By recording rapid contractions of thin gel membranes, the factors which determine the rate of transition from a swollen to a shrunken state was clarified. Finally, based on the results of these studies, we have proposed a new, physico-chemical explanation of the excitation process in nerve fibers and cells. In May of this fiscal year, we started to investigate mechanical and thermal signs of the excitation process in the electric organ of the electric eel. It was not difficult for us to demonstrate rapid swelling of the functional units, electroplates, associated with the production of an action potential. Although our study is still in an early stage, we are expecting to gain significant experimental support of our basic idea concerning the mechanism of nerve excitation.