MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF NERVE EXCITATION AND CONDUCTION

In this paper we propose that the physical behavior of the electric dipoles at the membrane interface is mainly responsible for the observed phenomena in nerve excitation and conduction. The underlying molecular mechanisms are conceived to be dipole reorientation, relaxation and flip-flops. It is suggested that quantum transitions of electric dipoles and a few first principles provide a real physical basis for the neural behavior as manifested macroscopically. This dipole theory gains a strong support from the most recent discoveries of negative fixed surface charge on axon membranes, infrared emission from stimulated nerve and the birefringence change which coincided with the action potential in squid axon. It can also offer an explanation for the heat production and absorption in excited nerves. A brief discussion will be given to the memory mechanism in terms of the field-dipole interaction during the RNA synthesis in nerve cells. © 1968 N. Rashevsky.