Age-related changes in the function of somatic membrane potassium channels of neurons in the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis

The function of the membrane potassium channels of the identified neurons of the small parietal ganglion was investigated in the adult (10–12-month) and old (22–24-month) molluscs Lymnaea stagnalis. Old molluscan neurons showed a decrease in maximal amplitude of fast and delayed potassium currents, in maximal potassium conductance, and in kinetics of inactivation of the delayed outward current. These features may be conditioned by the age changes in phospholipid composition of the membranes, rather than by the shifts of neuronal surface area during aging. Age dynamics in the function of potassium channels is thought to cause changes in the neuronal function.