 |
[RC] Chloride and electrical neutrality - Eleanor KellonIf I remember the electronics of the body correctly Na+ (sodium) is the charge that generates the current. Potassiums (K+) is the ion that establishes the threshold voltage required for a muscle to detect the current and respond by firing. Such thing as heart arrhythmia is associated with K+ unbalance - in fact KCL is a component in the drug cocktail used in executions in many states because arrhythmia is a flaw in the resting threshold potential. Good things horses evolved to dump excess K+. Too bad we humans didn't.
Truman That's right, but the role of chloride, an anion present in concentrations almost equal to those of sodium, is becoming more well understood. Detailed review here:
http://physrev.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/82/2/503
Eleanor -- Eleanor M. Kellon, V.M.D. Equine Nutritional Solutions 58 Maple Farm Road Ephrata, PA 17522
|