Very well structured, presenting the complex topic on a readily accessible level, this book is the first to explain the biological properties of nerve cell membranes from a unifying physical perspective. Without neglecting the known theories of nerve impulse propagation, the monograph focuses on the less known features of nerve cell membranes, such as their mechanical, caloric and optical properties. Based on these properties, the author then develops an electromechanical theory of pulse propagation, offering the most plausible explanation yet for some unresolved questions regarding the effects observed during general anesthesia.It is of prime interest for biophysicists studying biomembranes as well as for neurobiologists and clinical researchers studying anesthesia. Its accessible style makes it very well suited for teaching the subjects that it covers.Part I: INTRODUCTIONI.1 Early Nerve StudiesI.2 The Early Period of ElectrophysiologyI.3 The Hodgkin-Huxley Model and BeyondI.4 Another Line of ThoughtI.5 Scope of this BookPart II: THERMODYNAMICSII.1 Fundamental Laws in ThermodynamicsII.2 Some Statistical ThermodynamicsII.3 NonequilibriumII.4 The Fluctuation RelationsPart III: PROPERTIES OF NERVESIII.1 Structure of NervesIII.2 Electrical Properties of NervesIII.3 The Dimensions of the Nerve PulseIII.4 Mechanical Properties of the Nerve PulseIII.5 Optical Changes during the Action PotentialIII.6 Heat Production and Temperature Changes during the Nerve PulseIII.7 Magnetic Fields Generated during the Action PotentialIII.8 Collisions of Nerve PulsesPart IV: BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGYIV.1 Some Historical ConsiderationsIV.2 Cable TheoryIV.3 Voltage GatingIV.4 The Hodgkin-Huxley ModelIV.5 Protein Ion ChannelsPart V: PROPERTIES OF ARTIFICIAL AND BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANESV.1 Membrane StructureV.2 Membrane MeltingV.3 Phase Behavior, Domains and RaftsV.4 Influence of Hydrostatic Pressure and Lateral PressureV.5 CurvatureV.6 Influence of pH and Ionic StrengthV.7 Influence of VoltageV.8 Influence of Drugs and ProteinsPart VI: FLUCTUATIONS AND SUSCEPTIBILITIESVI.1 Entropy and FluctuationsVI.2 Heat CapacityVI.3 Relation between Enthalpy, Volume and Area ChangesVI.4 Transitions and Elastic ConstantsVI.5 Sound PropagationVI.6 Capacitance and Capacitive SusceptibilityVI.7 Relaxation TimescalesPart VII: THE SOLITON THEORYVII.1 Hydrodynamics and Sound PropagationVII.2 Sound Velocity in Nerve MembranesVII.3 The Frequency Dependence of the Sound VelocityVII.4 The Nerve Pulse as an Electromechanical SolitonVII.5 Nerve Contraction and Pulse TrainsVII.6 Excitation of SolitonsVII.7 Pulse CollisionsVII.8 Pulses on Monolayersr>Part VIII: CHANNELSVIII.1 The Permeability of Lipid MembranesVIII.2 Voltage-gated Lipid ChannelsVIII.3 Mechanosensitive Lipid ChannelsVIII.5 Temperature SensingVIII.6 The Influence of Drugs on Membrane Permeability and Lipid Ion ChannelsVIII.7 Channel LifetimesVIII.8 Selectivity of Lipid ChannelsVIII.9 Proteins as CatalystsPart IX: MEDICAL CONSEQUENCESIX.1 AnesthesiaIX.2 AdaptationIX.3 Nerve StretchingIX.4 Tremor and Bipolar DisorderIX.5 Ultrasound NeurostimulationThomas Heimburg is Professor for Biophysics at the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), where he is the head of the Membrane Biophysics Group. He studied Physics in Stuttgart and Göttingen and obtained his PhD in 1989 at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen. His research focuses on theoretical and experimental thermodynamics of biological systems, including biomembranes, artificial lipid membranes and proteins.Thomas Heimburg is the author of the book Thermal Biophysics of Membranes (Wiley-VCH, 2007) and an Editorial Board member of the journal Biophysical Chemistry.
