Pressure dependence of excitable cell function

Pressure, like temperature, is a fundamental environmental variable, but one whose physiological effects are much less well understood than those of temperature. Although many molluscs, fish, and even some mammals move through a wide range of pressures in their activities, very little ts known about neuronal adaptations in animals which inhabit or visit great depths. This review outlines changes in excitable cell function induced by experimental exposure to pressures up to two orders of magnitude greater than those at which most familiar animals live.