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On the cable theory of nerve conduction

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Abstract

Conduction of an impulse in the nonmyelinated nerve fiber is treated quantitatively by considering it as a direct consequence of the coexistence of two structurally distinct regions, resting and active, in the fiber. The profile of the electrical potential change induced in the vicinity of the boundary between the two regions is analyzed by using the cable equations. Simple mathematical formulae relating the conduction velocity to the electrical parameters of the fiber are derived from the symmetry of the potential profile at the boundary. The factors that determine the conduction velocity in the myelinated nerve fiber are reexamined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. STBB, LIMB, NICHD, LCMR, NIMH, National Institutes of Health, Bldg 13, Rm 3E-25, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Ichiji Tasaki

  2. Brainway Group, Brain Science Institute, Riken, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan

    Gen Matsumoto

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  1. Ichiji Tasaki
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  2. Gen Matsumoto
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Correspondence to Ichiji Tasaki.

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Tasaki, I., Matsumoto, G. On the cable theory of nerve conduction. Bull. Math. Biol. 64, 1069–1082 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1006/bulm.2002.0310

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/bulm.2002.0310

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