Abstract
In order to increase the potentials recorded extracellularly from nerve fibres, peripheral nerves are often placed in restricted space with cylindrical geometry. Equations are derived for computing the potentials expected at the surface of the cylinder, based on the potentials at the external surface of a small nerve fibre located on the long axis of the cylinder. These equations are evaluated numerically, using two formulae for a nerve impulse given in the literature. In both cases there is little attenuation for cylinders with radii less than 0.5 mm, but the potential declines approximately as a power of radius b for 1<b<10 mm. Various factors which might affect these results under different experimental conditions are discussed.
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This research was supported by grants (to R.B.S.) from the Medical Research Council and (to M.N.O.) the National Research Council of Canada. We thank Mrs. M. Willard for help with computer programming, and Dr. S. Andreassen for helpful comments on the manuscript
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Stein, R.B., Oğuztöreli, M.N. The radial decline of nerve impulses in a restricted cylindrical extracellular space. Biol. Cybernetics 28, 159–165 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337137
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337137