Boussinesq Solitons as Propagators of Neural Signals

We  consider  certain  approximation for determining the  equation  of motion  for nerve  signals by  using  the  model  of the  lipid  melting  of membranes.   The  nerve  pulses  are  found  to  display nonlinearity and  dispersion  during  the  melting  transition.  In this  simplified model the  nonlinear equation  early  proposed  by  Heimburg  and  coworkers  transformed to  the  well known  integrable Boussinesq  non linear  equation.   Under  specific values of the  parametric space this  system  shows the  existence  of singular  and  regular  soliton  like structures.   After  their  collisions  the  mutual creation  and annihilation (each other)  of nerve signals along the  nerve,  during  their  propagation, has been observed.Keywords: Boussinesq equation,  singular  solitons,  single neurons,  neural  code

Solitary electromechanical pulses in Lobster neurons

Investigations of nerve activity have focused predominantly on electrical phenomena. Nerves, however, are thermodynamic systems, and changes in temperature and in the dimensions of the nerve can also be observed during the action potential. Measurements of heat changes during the action potential suggest that the nerve pulse shares many characteristics with an adiabatic pulse. First experiments in the 1980s suggested small changes in nerve thickness and length during the action potential. Such findings have led to the suggestion that the action potential may be related to electromechanical solitons traveling without dissipation. However, they have been no modern attempts to study mechanical phenomena in nerves. Here, we present ultrasensitive AFM recordings of mechanical changes on the order of 2 - 12 {\AA} in the giant axons of the lobster. We show that the nerve thickness changes in phase with voltage change. When stimulated at opposite ends of the same axon, colliding action potentials pass through one another and do not annihilate. These observations are consistent with a mechanical interpretation of the nervous impulse.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Dinámica de la molécula más importante de la vida: el ADN. I. Modelos lineales y no lineales

En este artículo se revisan los modelos más simples para la molécula más importante dela vida: el ADN. Se estudian las excitaciones colectivas y paulatinamente van incorporándose en elanálisis cualidades complejas de la molécula. Esto conlleva al estudio de la dinámica de talesexcitaciones mediante ecuaciones diferenciales no lineales. Las soluciones especiales de estasecuaciones corresponden a un tipo de ondas no lineales que mantienen forma y velocidadconstantes con la mínima pérdida de energía e información, conocidas como solitones ocompactones

Periodic solutions and refractory periods in the soliton theory for nerves and the locust femoral nerve

Close to melting transitions it is possible to propagate solitary electromechanical pulses which reflect many of the experimental features of the nerve pulse including mechanical dislocations and reversible heat production. Here we show that one also obtains the possibility of periodic pulse generation when the boundary condition for the nerve is the conservation of the overall length of the nerve. This condition generates an undershoot beneath the baseline (`hyperpolarization') and a `refractory period', i.e., a minimum distance between pulses. In this paper, we outline the theory for periodic solutions to the wave equation and compare these results to action potentials from the femoral nerve of the locust (locusta migratoria). In particular, we describe the frequently occurring minimum-distance doublet pulses seen in these neurons and compare them to the periodic pulse solutions.Comment: 10 pages, 6 Figure

Asymmetric Firing Rate from Crayfish Left and Right Caudal Photoreceptors Due to Blue and Green Monochromatic Light Pulses

Recent studies have postulated that the left and right caudal photoreceptors (CPR-L and CPR-R, respectively) of the crayfish show asymmetry of spontaneous activity in darkness and responses induced by white light. Two photopigments have been identified; the first one sensitive to blue light and the second one sensitive to green light. This study explores blue and green monochromatic light responsiveness with respect to both CPR-L and -R, as well as the effects of temperature on these photoreceptors. We performed simultaneous extracellular recordings of the firing rate of action potentials from CPRs of the crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus (n = 12). At room temperature (24 ± 1 °C), CPR-L and -R showed a significant difference in the spikes from most of the comparations. CPRs in the dark exhibited spontaneous asymmetric activity and displayed sensitivity to both monochromatic light sources. CPR responses were light intensity dependent within a range of 1.4 logarithmic intensity units, showing approximately 0.5 logarithmic intensity units more sensitivity to blue than to green light. The CPRs displayed an asymmetrical response to both colors by using a constant light intensity. At 14 (±1) °C, activity in darkness diminished while asymmetry persisted, and the CPRs improved responses for both monochromatic light sources, displaying a significant asymmetry. Here, we provide additional evidence of the asymmetric activity in darkness and light response from the CPRs. The new data allow further investigations regarding the physiological role of caudal photoreceptors in the crayfish