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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Nerve Excitability Assessment in Chemotherapy-induced Neurotoxicity
Published on: April 26, 2012
Energy-optimal electrical excitation of nerve fibers
Saso Jezernik1, Manfred Morari
1wiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Automatic Control Laboratory, Physikstrasse 3, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland. jezernik@control.ee.ethz.ch
Abstract:
We derive, based on an analytical nerve membrane model and optimal control theory of dynamical systems, an energy-optimal stimulation current waveform for electrical excitation of nerve fibers. Optimal stimulation waveforms for nonleaky and leaky membranes are calculated. The case with a leaky membrane is a realistic case. Finally, we compare the waveforms and energies necessary for excitation of a leaky membrane in the case where the stimulation waveform is a square-wave current pulse, and in the case of energy-optimal stimulation. The optimal stimulation waveform is an exponentially rising waveform and necessitates considerably less energy to excite the nerve than a square-wave pulse (especially true for larger pulse durations). The described theoretical results can lead to drastically increased battery lifetime and/or decreased energy transmission requirements for implanted biomedical systems.
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