Definition
Thermodynamic models provide a kinetic description of ion channels starting from first principles. Instead of using empirical functions for the voltage dependence of the parameters of the ion channel, they are deduced from a physically plausible framework. This framework formalizes the effect of the interaction between the electric field and the ion channel. This interaction can be linear or nonlinear, leading to different classes of models for voltage-dependent ion channels.
Detailed Description
Introduction
The first quantitative description of the voltage dependence of ionic currents and their role in generating action potentials was provided by Hodgkin and Huxley (1952). This description, however, was semiempirical. They postulated that the ionic conductance was dependent on the assembly of “gating particles,” acting independently and in a voltage-dependent manner. This formalism gave rise to the well-known Hodgkin-Huxley set of equations, which could account...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Andersen O, Koeppe RE II (1992) Molecular determinants of channel function. Physiol Rev 72:S89–S158
Borg-Graham LJ (1991) Modeling the nonlinear conductances of excitable membranes. In: Wheal H, Chad J (eds) Cellular and molecular neurobiology: a practical approach. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 247–275
Chen C, Hess P (1990) Mechanisms of gating of T-type calcium channels. J Gen Physiol 96:603–630
Destexhe A, Huguenard JR (2000) Nonlinear thermodynamic models of voltage-dependent currents. J Comput Neurosci 9:259–270
Destexhe A, Huguenard JR (2010) Modeling voltage-dependent channels. In: DeSchutter E (ed) Computational modeling methods for neuroscientists. MIT Press, Cambridge, pp 107–137
Eyring H (1935) The activated complex in chemical reactions. J Chem Phys 3:107115
Eyring H, Lumry R, Woodbury JW (1949) Some applications of modern rate theory to physiological systems. Rec Chem Prog 10:100–114
Hill TL, Chen YD (1972) On the theory of ion transport across nerve membranes. VI. Free energy and activation free energies of conformational change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 69:1723–1726
Hille B (2001) Ionic channels of excitable membranes. Sinauer Associates INC, Sunderland
Hodgkin AL, Huxley AF (1952) A quantitative description of membrane current and its application to conduction and excitation in nerve. J Physiol 117:500–544
Johnson FH, Eyring H, Stover BJ (1974) The theory of rate processes in biology and medicine. Wiley, New York
Sigworth FJ (1993) Voltage gating of ion channels. Q Rev Biophys 27:1–40
Stevens CF (1978) Interactions between intrinsic membrane protein and electric field. Biophys J 22:295–306
Tsien RW, Noble D (1969) A transition state theory approach to the kinetics of conductances in excitable membranes. J Membr Biol 1:248–273
Willms AR, Baro DJ, Harris-Warrick RM, Guckenheimer J (1999) An improved parameter estimation method for Hodgkin-Huxley models. J Comput Neurosci 6:145–168
Further Reading
Destexhe A, Mainen ZF, Sejnowski TJ (1994) Synthesis of models for excitable membranes, synaptic transmission and neuromodulation using a common kinetic formalism. J Comput Neurosci 1:195–230
Johnston D, Wu SM (1995) Foundations of cellular neurophysiology. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Destexhe, A. (2014). Thermodynamic Models of Ion Channels. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_136-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_136-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7320-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences