Temperature Dependence of Accommodation and Excitation in Space-Clamped Axons

Accommodation and excitation in space-clamped squid axons were studied with the double sucrose gap technique, using linear current ramps, short (50 microsec) square wave pulses, and rheobasic square wave pulses as stimuli. The temperature was varied from 5 degrees to 35 degrees C. Experimental results showed a Q(10) for accommodation which was 44% higher than that for excitation. Yet calculations on the basis of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations predict equal Q(10)'s for excitation and accommodation. Although the Hodgkin-Huxley equations are spectacularly successful for so many nerve phenomena, the differences between calculations of accommodation and these experiments, which were designed to test the equations, show that the equations need modification in this area.