High Na+ channel density is thought to underlie the axon initial segment's (AIS's) low action potential initiation threshold, but a new study estimates functional Na+ channel density in the AIS is only threefold higher than in the soma.
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Johnston, D. The Na+ channel conundrum: axon structure versus function. Nat Neurosci 13, 784–785 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0710-784
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0710-784