Mind, Brain, Body, and Behavior

116 FARRERAS

General Neurophysiology focused on the physiology of the cerebral

cortex, especially: 1) the phenomenon of spreading depression; 2) the

electrical activity of single cells in the cerebral cortex; 3) the functional

activity of the lateral geniculate nucleus; 4) the effects of the blood-brain

barrier on the action of certain drugs, such as LSD; 5) the action of

curare on the neocortex; 6) ion exchange patterns across membranes of

single muscle fiber preparations; 7) sensory discrimination in the cortex

and the thalamus; and 8) extracellular and intracellular analysis of the

pyramidal cells of the hippocampus.^4

Karl Frank, Ph.D.

Courtesy of the Office of NIH History

In 1952, physiologist Karl Frank’s Section on Spinal Cord Physiology

joined the laboratory. The section’s purpose was to elucidate the neural

mechanisms operating in the spinal cord, specifically the excitation of

nerve cells and the mechanisms whereby the excitation is inhibited or

becomes more excitable.^5 Some of the section’s work included: 1) record­

ing electrical potentials of single nerve cells in the spinal cord with

intracellular electrodes; 2) studying various types of rhythms initiated

by motor neurons; 3) studying trans-synaptic events in the spinal cord;

4) recording antidromic activation; 5) developing a technique for accur­

ate study of electrical reactions (by placing one electrode inside a neuron

and another one outside of the membrane); and 6) studying sensory

integrative mechanisms in the auditory system.^6