Temperature effects on neuronal elements

This paper presents a review of the experimentally determined values for the temperature dependence of parameters of initiation and propagation of action potentials. These experimentally determined Q10 values are compared to the theoretical Q10 values predicted by the Hodgkin-Huxley (H-H) equations. The H-H equations (with a Q10 of 3 for the rate constants) accurately predict the temperature dependence of most of the measured parameters. In addition, it is shown that the H-H equations accurately predict the temperature dependence of propagational failure at regions such as branch points, where the safety factor can be lowered by geometric factors that produce an increased electrical load.