A Reinterpretation of the Relationship Between Persistent and Resurgent Sodium Currents.

Across neuronal cell types, the resurgent sodium current (INaR) is often implicated in driving high rates of repetitive firing. Using dynamic clamp, we determined INaR is ineffective at driving subsequent action potentials, and that the subthreshold persistent sodium current is the critical parameter for scaling repetitive firing rates. We propose INaR measured in native neurons may reflect a mechanism by which the magnitude of INaP is fine-tuned. We propose INaR measured in native neurons may reflect a mechanism by which the magnitude of INaP is fine-tuned.