Title :
The electric field system of a macular ion channel plaque
Author :
Hales, Colin G. ; Grayden, David B. ; Quiney, Harry
Author_Institution :
NICTA VRL, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010 Australia
fDate :
Aug. 30 2011-Sept. 3 2011
Abstract :
Recent empirical neuroscience evidence increasingly supports an active role for the endogenous electromagnetic (EM) field system of brain tissue. These results undermine the long-held view that the field system is a causally inert byproduct of action potential and synapse electrochemical activity. The dominant originating mechanism for the endogenous EM field remains undetermined. The new observations make the isolation of an unambiguous original EM field source a matter of some urgency. As part of the process of elaboration of the field systems produced by coherent transmembrane filamentary currents (the most plausible original mechanism), this paper looks at the contribution by a localized density of cooperating ion channels in the form of the macular synaptic plaque engaged in conducting a post-synaptic current. The method uses the volume conduction formalism driven by filamentary currents that stand in for ion channels. Not surprisingly, the result is a pulsing dipole. Despite its extreme material abstraction, the result forms one of the basic mechanisms for future models capable of revealing whole-neuron and network-level endogenous EM field system.
Keywords :
Computational modeling; Electric fields; Electric potential; Electroencephalography; Equations; Mathematical model; Neurons; Action Potentials; Animals; Brain Mapping; Computer Simulation; Electrocardiography; Humans; Ion Channel Gating; Ion Channels; Models, Neurological; Neurons; Radiation Dosage;
Conference_Titel :
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC, 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-4121-1
Electronic_ISBN :
1557-170X
DOI :
10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6090077