title: The dynamics of small excitable ion channel clusters.
abstract: Through computational modeling we predict that small sodium ion channel clusters on small patches of membrane can encode electric signals most efficiently at certain magic cluster sizes. We show that this effect can be traced back to algebraic features of small integers and are universal for channels with a simple gating dynamics. We further explore physiologic conditions under which such effects can occur.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015222:Sodium Channels; D012964:Sodium