The electrophysiology of smooth muscle

Initial investigations into the electrophysiology of smooth muscle were carried out by Bozler (1946) who studied the ureter, uterus and muscle of the intestine using external electrodes. He recorded action potentials similar to those which had been recorded from other excitable tissues during normal movements of the stomach and small intestine, and found that each movement was usually accompanied by a repetitive discharge. These observations conflicted with those of Rosenblueth and his collaborators (1936) who found smooth muscle to be incapable of giving all-or-none responses. Bozler's observations lead to the conclusion that 'the activity of smooth muscle is due to the discharge of impulses which are accompanied by action potentials like those found in striated muscle and nerve', thus bringing these different tissues into line. He considered that 'the great variability of the movements which is characteristic for smooth muscle can be explained by such factors as frequency and number of impulses discharged, rate of conduction, and variations in excitability'. Thus early in the history of study of smooth muscle, was it recognized that the original idea of von Euler, Rosenblueth and others, that some essential qualitative difference must exist between smooth and skeletal muscle to explain the wide differences in their behaviour, was not supported by the experimental evidence, and that in fact the different tissues probably shared the same basic properties.

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Edinburgh

Year dc:date.issued

1962

Author dc:creator

• Trail, Wilma M.

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/34252

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:era.ed.ac.uk:1842/34252