[The role of the glial cells in the maintenance of the ionic environment of the photoreceptors of the retina of the drone (author's transl)].

A double-barrelled potassium sensitive microelectrode was used to record electrical potentials and K+ activities in the retina of the drone Apis Mellifera during stimulation with trains of flashes, 1 per sec, intense enough to produce receptor potentials of near maximal amplitude. During the stimulation photoreceptors lose about 25% of their intracellular potassium concentration. During stimulation the potassium activity in the extracellular space increased transitorily up to 20 mM and then fell to a plateau. By this time the potassium concentration increased by about 20% in the glial cells. These results suggest that the glial cells may participate in the regulation of K+ activity in the extracellular space. The increase of potassium activity in the glial cells may be a stimulus for activation of cellular metabolism.