The site of action potential initiation in cerebellar Purkinje neurons

Abstract

Knowledge of the site of action potential initiation is essential for understanding how synaptic input is converted into neuronal output. Previous studies have shown that the lowest-threshold site for initiation of action potentials is in the axon. Here we use recordings from visualized rat cerebellar Purkinje cell axons to localize the site of initiation to a well-defined anatomical structure: the first node of Ranvier, which normally forms at the first axonal branch point.