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Bioelectrical phase transitions
Joshua B Fernandes1,2, Hyeongjoo Row1, Karthik Shekhar1,2
1University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Biological ion channels exhibit collective behavior, undergoing phase transitions like water. This discovery reveals how ion channel ensembles coordinate electrical signaling in neurons.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Neuroscience
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Electrical signaling in biology is typically viewed through single ion channel function.
- The collective behavior and cooperative gating of ion channel ensembles remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether ion channel ensembles can exhibit cooperative opening and closing behaviors.
- To explore the potential for bioelectrical order-disorder phase transitions in ion channel systems.
Main Methods:
- Developed a theoretical framework modeling feedback between ion channel currents and local membrane voltage.
- Utilized finite-size analyses to study the open-channel fraction, fluctuations, and collective channel states.
- Constructed a voltage-temperature phase diagram for ion channel ensembles.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that ion channel ensembles can undergo emergent nonequilibrium coupling, leading to bona fide phase transitions.
- Identified a first-order phase transition line separating collectively open and closed states, terminating at a critical point.
- Found that the critical temperature depends on ion transport, channel density, and geometry.
Conclusions:
- Collective activation of ion channels is a fundamental bioelectrical phenomenon.
- High sodium channel densities in large neurons may favor collective gating, while lower potassium channel densities suggest independent gating.
- This framework provides new insights into neuronal electrical signaling and the physical basis of nerve impulse propagation.
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