Modeling the Electric Potential across Neuronal Membranes: The Effect of Fixed Charges on Spinal Ganglion Neurons and Neuroblastoma Cells

Abstract

We present a model for the electric potential profile across the membranes of neuronal cells. We considered the resting and action potential states, and analyzed the influence of fixed charges of the membrane on its electric potential, based on experimental values of membrane properties of the spinal ganglion neuron and the neuroblastoma cell. The spinal ganglion neuron represents a healthy neuron, and the neuroblastoma cell, which is tumorous, represents a pathological neuron. We numerically solved the non-linear Poisson-Boltzmann equation for the regions of the membrane model we have adopted, by considering the densities of charges dissolved in an electrolytic solution and fixed on both glycocalyx and cytoplasmic proteins. Our model predicts that there is a difference in the behavior of the electric potential profiles of the two types of cells, in response to changes in charge concentrations in the membrane. Our results also describe an insensitivity of the neuroblastoma cell membrane, as observed in some biological experiments. This electrical property may be responsible for the low pharmacological response of the neuroblastoma to certain chemotherapeutic treatments.

Hydrogel bioelectronics

“…While bioelectronic stimulation has a broad range of applications from targeted stimulation of neurons around the implanted electrodes to less specific stimulation via large area epidermal electrodes, all electrical stimulations rely on triggered firing of APs by the membrane depolarization of excitable cells. 39,59 Depolarization of the transmembrane potential is induced by the local field potential V e applied on the outer membrane of the targeted neuron (Fig. 3A).…”

Kinetics of Polyelectrolyte Gels

“…The concentrations of Na + , K + , and Cl − are kept at 10 mM, 100 mM, and 110 mM in the external solution. The polymer backbone of the axon is negatively charged [56]. The reference concentration of the fixed negative charges is taken to be C 0 = 200 mM.…”

Behavior of a Model for Feedback-Controlled Reverberating Circuit and Immediate Memory Function

“…Mathematical and computer modeling has been widely employed in the biological sciences field, with important application in Neuroscience. In this way, experimental and theoretical hypotheses can be combined into one single model and tested [4,7,8,23,24,26].…”