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Mammalian Motor Nerve Fibers, Models of

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Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience

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Synonyms

Cable model(s); Nerve fiber model(s); Neuron model(s)

Definition

A model of a mammalian motor nerve fiber is a mathematical description of the electrochemical events taking place during the initiation and propagation of an action potential in a peripheral nerve fiber. This description accounts for the movement of ions through protein channels (conductances) embedded in the axon membrane. These channels are differentially distributed along different regions of the nerve fiber (e.g., node of Ranvier vs. internode) and have different conduction properties (e.g., fast sodium, persistent sodium, or slow potassium conductances).

Detailed Description

Anatomical Considerations

The cell body of a mammalian motor fiber resides in the ventral grey matter of the spinal cord or in the brainstem and projects its axon through a peripheral or cranial nerve that innervates its final target: the muscle fiber. The axonal diameter of a mammalian α-motor neuron that innervates extrafusal muscle...

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References

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Further Readings

  • Grill WM (2004) Electrical stimulation of the peripheral nervous system: biophysics and excitation properties. In: Horch KW, Dhillon G (eds) Neuroprosthetics: theory and practice. World Scientific, River Edge, pp 319–341

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 136 Hudson Hall, 90281, Durham, NC, 27708-0281, USA

    Leonel E. Medina & Warren M. Grill

  2. Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Warren M. Grill

  3. Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Warren M. Grill

Authors
  1. Leonel E. Medina
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  2. Warren M. Grill
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leonel E. Medina .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Dieter Jaeger

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA

    Ranu Jung

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Medina, L.E., Grill, W.M. (2014). Mammalian Motor Nerve Fibers, Models of. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_369-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_369-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7320-6

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