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This study presents a new thermodynamic model for electrical excitation in cell membranes, explaining action potentials as transitions between non-equilibrium states driven by molecular cooperation and energy dissipation.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Physical Chemistry
  • Cellular Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Electrically excitable membranes generate action potentials, crucial for cellular communication.
  • The underlying molecular mechanisms and thermodynamic principles of excitation remain incompletely understood.
  • Existing models often simplify the complex interplay of membrane structure and ion transport.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a theoretical framework for electrical excitation based on cooperative membrane protomer transitions.
  • To model the coupled flow of permeant molecules and membrane conformational changes.
  • To elucidate the thermodynamic basis of membrane excitability as a non-equilibrium phenomenon.

Main Methods:

  • Derivation of equations for permeant flow and membrane conformation for a non-charged permeant.
  • Application of principles from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and dissipative structures.
  • Analysis of molecular cooperativity and energy dissipation effects.

Main Results:

  • The theory predicts key properties of excitable membranes, including conductance-potential relationships and negative conductance.
  • It explains the occurrence of instabilities leading to action potentials following environmental perturbations.
  • The model highlights the amplification of cooperative molecular properties via macroscopic energy dissipation.

Conclusions:

  • Electrically excitable membranes exist in a non-equilibrium, dissipative state ('dissipative structure').
  • Excitation involves a transition between stable non-equilibrium organizations.
  • Cooperative molecular dynamics within the membrane are amplified by energy dissipation, enabling electrical signaling.