Periodic forcing of a single ion channel: dynamic aspects of the open-closed switching

An unconventional approach to studying ion channel kinetics is exploited. Here we describe the effects of a periodically varying membrane potential on the open-closed transitions of single K⁺ channels. The use of cycle histograms allows one to measure the transition probabilities as functions of the stimulus phase. The results show that such probabilities vary with the stimulation frequency and with the stimulus history, thus highlighting a dynamic aspect in the switching of this ion channel. Received: 9 May 1997 / Revised version: 5 January 1998 / Accepted: 12 January 1998