A statistical mechanical model of cell membrane ion channels in electric fields: The mean-field approximation

Y.S. Yang, C.J. Thompson, V. Anderson and A.W. Wood

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 1999, vol. 268, issue 3, 424-432

Abstract: A statistical mechanical model of cell membrane ion channels is proposed which incorporates interactions between ion channels and external electric fields. The model provides a physical explanation of trans-membrane ion transport. Under a mean-field approximation, the maximum fractions of open potassium and sodium channels are obtained by solving a self-consistent nonlinear algebraic equation. Using known parameters for the squid giant axon, the model gives excellent agreement with experimental measurements for potassium and sodium trans-membrane conductance. The numerical results imply that the chemical potential of open channels and the interaction energy between channels are well above the thermal noise.

Keywords: Statistical mechanics; Squid giant axon; Trans-membrane conductance; Potassium and sodium ion channels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1999
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:268:y:1999:i:3:p:424-432

DOI: 10.1016/S0378-4371(99)00102-8

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