Abstract
Our purpose in studying single-channel currents from excitable membranes is twofold. First, we want to describe the voltage- and time-dependence of the ionic currents that make up the action potential. Second, we want to understand how the channels actually work at the molecular level. When we achieve this we can answer the following questions. What channel properties are responsible for macroscopic properties of membranes (threshold, action potential shape, velocity of propagation, refractory period, spontaneous firing, anesthetic block, and so on)? How do macromolecules flip randomly between conducting and nonconducting states? What causes the kinetics of this random flipping to be voltage-dependent and time-dependent? How do macromolecules select some ions over others? What causes their conductance to be voltage-dependent? How do anesthetics and toxins work?
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