Analysis of a model of membrane potential for a skin receptor.
A linear model for the membrane potential of a nerve ending associated with a sense-of-touch skin receptor is formulated and analyzed. Because the nerve has cytoplasmic extensions and is stimulated through a membrane strain mechanism, the model is a generalized cable equation with linear oblique boundary conditions (i.e. boundary conditions involving both time and space derivatives). The model is stimulated through a certain conductance parameter. We establish solutions for the problem and we consider a particular physiological question, both analytically and computationally, of determining conditions on parameters and stimulus which give threshold level potential values at a particular boundary point.
Krzyzanski
W
W
Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Buffalo, NY 14260, USA. wk@acsu.buffalo.edu
Bell
J
J
D016014:Linear Models; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D016501:Neurites / Q000502:physiology*; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D010141:Pacinian Corpuscles / Q000502:physiology*; D011554:Pseudopodia / Q000502:physiology; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena