Site of Origin and Propagation of Spike in the Giant Neuron of Aplysia

The form and time sequence of spikes generated by orthodromic, antidromic, and direct stimulation and during spontaneous activity have been studied with intracellular electrodes simultaneously introduced in the soma and in different parts of the axon of the giant nerve cell of Aplysia. Evidence was obtained that under normal conditions of excitability, the spike originates at some distance from the soma in an axonal region with a higher excitability surpassing that of the surrounding membranes. Between the trigger zone and the soma is situated a region of transitional excitability where the conduction of the spike towards the soma may be blocked at a functionally determined and variable locus. The cell body is electrically excitable, but has the highest threshold of all parts of the neuron. The inactivation or even the removal of the cell body does not suppress synaptic transmission.