Tetanic stimulation

In neurobiology, a tetanic stimulation consists of a high-frequency sequence of individual stimulations of a neuron. It is associated with long-term potentiation.

High-frequency stimulation causes an increase in release called post-tetanic potentiation (Kandel 2003). This presynaptic event is caused by calcium influx. Calcium-protein interactions then produce a change in vesicle exocytosis.

Tetanic stimulation is used to detect a non - depolarizing block or a depolarizing block on the neuromuscular junction.

Lower elicitations of tetanic stimulation in aged muscles were shown to be caused by lower levels of anaerobic energy provision in skeletal muscles (Campbell, Marsh, Spriet, 1991).