THE OXYGEN UPTAKE OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVE OF THE RAT

THE oxygen metabolism of the peripheral nerve of mammals has been studied much less extensively than has that of the nerves of frogs and invertebrates. In particular the relation between frequency of nerve impulses and magnitude of the increased oxygen consumption of active nerve is not known. The results described below include the determination of the rate of oxygen uptake of rat’s nerve at rest, evidence that the rate of oxygen uptake reaches a higher steady level when the nerve is conducting impulses, determination of these activity levels as a function of frequency, and a comparison of the effect of temperature on the rates of uptake of oxygen by nerve at rest and during activity.