Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Kir2.3

Title: The sodium "leak" has finally been plugged.

Authors: Terrance P Snutch, Arnaud Monteil

Journal, date & volume: Neuron, 2007 May 24 , 54, 505-7

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17521564

Abstract
Most electrophysiologists generally do not speak highly of leak currents. In reality, these conductances represent a crucial functional mechanism by which neurons control resting membrane potentials. A new study in Cell by Lu et al. has surprisingly confirmed the identity of the long-sought voltage-insensitive sodium leak conductance to be encoded by the third branch of the voltage-gated sodium and calcium channel family.