Intramembrane charge movement was recorded from freshly dissociated hippocampal pyramidal cells from mice using the whole cell clamp technique. Once the ionic currents were suppressed, a depolarizing pulse from a holding potential of -80 mV elicited a capacitive transient outward current at onset and a capacitive inward current at offset of the pulse. The amount of charge displaced at the onset of the pulse (Qon) was equivalent to the charge moved at repolarization (Qoff). The relationship between the amount of charge moved and pulse potential could be expressed by a simple two states Boltzmann equation: Q = Qmax/(1 + exp[-(V-V1/2)/k]), where Qmax is the maximum charge, V1/2 the membrane potential at which Q is half of Qmax and k is a slope factor. On average, Qmax was 10.90 +/- 0.62 nC/microF, V1/2 was 1.70 +/- 2.90 mV, and k was 18.80 +/- 1.20 mV (n = 16). Phenylglyoxal (10 mM), an arginine modifying reagent, reduced the maximum amount of charge movement to 14% of control. The inhibitory effect of phenylglyoxal was time dependent and the decline time course of maximum amount of charge movement could be fitted by a single exponential curve with a time constant of 5.79 min. The dihydropyridine (DHP) receptor antagonist, nifedipine, immobilized 54% of the charge movement. These results suggest that a part of the charge movement reflects the conformational change of the DHP receptors upon membrane depolarization.