Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026

Recapitulation of an Ion Channel IV Curve Using Frequency Components
Published on: February 8, 2011
Wavelet-based protocols for ion channel electrophysiology
1Physics Department, Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA. akargol@loyno.edu.
Background:
Fluctuation-induced phenomena caused by both random and deterministic stimuli have been previously studied in a variety of contexts. They are based on the interplay between the spectro-temporal patterns of the signal and the kinetics of the system it is applied to. The aim of this study was to develop a method for designing fluctuating inputs into nonlinear system which would elicit the most desired system output and to implement the method to studies of ion channels.
Results:
We describe an algorithm based on constructing the input as a superposition of wavelets and optimizing it according to a selected cost functional. The algorithm is applied to ion channel electrophysiology where the input is the fluctuating voltage delivered through a patch-clamp experimental apparatus and the output is the whole-cell ionic current. The algorithm is optimized to aid selection of Markov models of the gating kinetics of the voltage-gated Shaker K+ channel and tested by comparison of numerically obtained ionic currents predicted by different models with experimental data obtained from the Shaker K+ channels. Other applications and optimization criteria are also suggested.
Conclusion:
The method described in this paper can be useful in development and testing of models of ion channel gating kinetics, developing voltage inputs that optimize certain nonequilibrium phenomena in ion channels, such as the kinetic focusing, and potentially has applications to other fields.
Related Concept Videos
Ion Channels
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels

