Macroscopic Self-Organized Electrochemical Patterns in Excitable Tissue and Irreversible Thermodynamics

Abstract

In this paper we make the assertion that the key to understand the emergent properties of excitable tissue (brain and heart) lies in the application of irreversible thermodynamics. We support this assertion by pointing out where symmetry break, phase transitions both in structure of membranes as well as in the dynamic of interactions between membranes occur in excitable tissue and how they create emergent low dimensional electrochemical patterns. These patterns are expressed as physiological or physiopathological concomitants of the organ or organism behavior. We propose that a set of beliefs about the nature of biological membranes and their interactions are hampering progress in the physiology of excitable tissue. We will argue that while there is no direct evidence to justify the belief that quantum mechanics has anything to do with macroscopic patterns expressed in excitable tissue, there is plenty of evidence in favor of irreversible thermodynamics. Some key predictions have been fulfilled long time ago and they have been ignored by the mainstream literature. Dissipative structures and phase transitions appear to be a better conceptual context to discuss biological self-organization. The central role of time as a global coupling agent is emphasized in the interpretation of the presented results.

Extracellular matrix and its role in conveying glial/neural interactions in health and disease

“…The electrical energy stored in dissociated interfacial water can be expended in the forms of heat, non-Planck infrared radiation and coherent slow flow of charged dissociated water. With this energy in mind, we could now reinterpret our own previous experimental results as well as those of others (see also Fernandes de Lima and Hanke [14]). For example, in 1993 unequivocal coherent flow was demonstrated in a B-Z system (Rovinsky and Menziger [54]).…”

“…In axons and the heart these waves are physiological whereas in retina and cortex they are not, and are therefore associated with pathophysiological events. The same dynamics that produces waves produces other types of macroscopic electrochemical patterns: standing patterns and self-sustained sequences of spirals (Dahlem and Müller [8]; Fernandes de Lima and Hanke [11,14,15]). These patterns can be associated with "petit mal" seizures, complex seizures perceptual distortions and transient global amnesia that either impair consciousness or distort perception.…”

“…Heartbeats, on the other hand, are manifestations of three dimensional scroll excitation waves. They are all macroscopic patterns expressed at the supramolecular and supracellular level (see Fernandes de Lima and Hanke [14]). Brain and heart, if viewed as excitable media, must share similar rules for selforganization of spatial and temporal patterns.…”

“…These are composed of two lipid leaflets, each incorporating two different polyelectrolyte gels (for more details see Fernandes de Lima and Hanke [14]). The external leaflet incorporates glycolipids (gangliosides) that have sialic acid "trees" protruding at 90 degrees to the plane of the membrane.…”

Thinking about the action potential: the nerve signal as a window to the physical principles guiding neuronal excitability

“…Using this approach, the abrupt (and at least partly reversible) multiphysical (i.e., electric, mechanical, thermal, etc.) changes coinciding with axonal excitation were interpreted and modeled as manifestations of sudden structural transformations, or phase transitions, in the axonal membrane and/or intimately associated parts of the cytoskeleton ( Fernandes de Lima and Hanke, 2016 ). Within this context, phase transitions, most simply defined as a shift of a system from one identifiable state of order to another elicited by, often subtle, changes in a so-called control parameter ( Heffern et al, 2021 ), offer an especially attractive explanatory concept as they are well known to be accompanied by drastic changes in the material properties of the system of interest (including changes in compressibility, conductance and heat storage), are induced by relatively small variations in external conditions (like, electrical field, temperature, pH, calcium ions) and, similar to action potentials, can appear as on/off switches ( Kuklin et al, 2020 ; Heimburg, 2023 ).…”