Extracellular Stimulation of a Cell Having a Non-Uniform Membrane

The response to extracellular simulation of a cell having a non-uniform membrane consisting of a low resistance patch in an otherwise high resistance membrane is examined. The presence of the patch is shown to cause a shift in the isopotential value of the intracellular medium towards the value of potential just outside the patch. The quantitative dependence of this shift upon the electrical parameters of the system is examined; the effect of such a shift upon the distribution of induced transmembrane potentials is discussed; and the case of a cell with multiple low resistance patches is treated.