[Possible mechanisms of habituation of dendritic potentials of the association cortex in the cat].

The effect of strychnine, calcium and posttetanic potentiation on the habituation of dendritic potentials was studied in acute experiments on cats under barbiturate anesthesia. In spite of significant increase of dendritic potentials after the application of strychnine or calcium-enriched saline, the time course of habituation was not altered. Posttetanic potentiation also did not affect the habituation course. It is suggested that dendritic potential habituation in the associative cortex is elicited by some intrinsic processes in the postsynaptic membrane independent of postsynaptic inhibition. Exhaustion of available transmitter in the presynaptic terminals also seems to be irrelevant to the habituation.