Resting and Action Potentials of the Squid Giant Axon in Vivo

Blood oxygenation and circulation were maintained in Loligo pealii for several hours by a strong flow of sea water over both gills on the open, flat mantle. Potentials were measured with a 3 M KCl-filled glass microelectrode penetrating the giant axon membrane. An hour or more after the mantle was opened, the potentials were similar to those observed in excised axons and in preparations without circulation; spike height 100 mv.; undershoot 12 mv., decaying at 6 v./sec.; resting potential 63 mv. However, the earliest (20 minute) resting potentials were up to 70 mv. and 73 mv. Occasional initial action potential measurements (40 to 50 minute) showed a decay of the undershoot that was less than one-tenth the rate observed later. This suggests that in even better preparations there would be no decay, thereby increasing the resting potential and spike height by 12 mv. With the calculated liquid junction potential of 4 mv. the absolute resting potential in the "normal" axon in vivo is estimated to be about 77 mv., which is close to the Nernst potential for the potassium ratio between squid blood and axoplasm. The differences between such a normal axon and the usual isolated axon can be accounted for by a negligible leakage conductance in the normal axon.