Membrane potential perturbations induced in tissue cells by pulsed electric fields

Pulsed electric fields directly influence the electrophysiology of tissue cells by transiently perturbing their transmembrane potential. To determine the magnitude and time course of this interaction, electrotonic cable theory was used to calculate the membrane potential perturbations induced in tissue cells by a spatially uniform, pulsed electric field. Analytic solutions were obtained that predict shifts in membrane potential along the length of cells as a function of time in response to an electrical pulse. For elongated tissue cells, or groups of tissue cells that are coupled electrotonically by gap junctions, significant hyperpolarizations and depolarizations can result from millisecond applications of electric fields with strengths on the order of 10-100 mV/cm. The results illustrate the importance of considering cellular cable parameters in assessing the effects of transient electric fields on biological systems, as well as in predicting the efficacy of pulsed electric fields in medical treatments.