title: Axon termination conditions for electrical stimulation.
abstract: The cable model for electrical stimulation near the terminal of a passive fiber is derived for excitation by an arbitrary, time-varying, applied extracellular field. Unless the termination impedance is comparable to that of mammalian node of Ranvier, the end-conditions require the longitudinal intracellular current at the fiber terminal to be negligibly small. This requirement substantially alters the membrane potential profile from that obtained with a fiber of infinite length. Stimulation near the end of a fiber may result in lower thresholds and may reverse the anodal/cathodal threshold ratio obtained with stimulation in the mid-portion of the fiber. Chronaxie for stimulation near the terminal may be much smaller than at a distance from the terminal and the strength-duration curve may be nonmonotonic. These differences may have significant implications for any application of electrical stimulation where fiber terminations may play a role in the excitatory process.
authors.affiliation: Cochlear Implant Research Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston 02114.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Rubinstein
mesh_terms: D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000502:physiology; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000502:physiology*