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Hodgkin-Huxley model
Also known as: Hodgkin-Huxley-based modeling, Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model
Facts (13)
Sources
Thinking about the action potential: the nerve signal as a window to ... frontiersin.org 13 facts
claimIn the Hodgkin and Huxley model, ion channels open and close in a time- and voltage-dependent manner, allowing ionic currents (such as Na+, K+, and Cl-) to flow across the axonal membrane, generating a transient alteration of the transmembrane potential known as the action potential, which propagates via active and passive conduction.
claimAlmog and Korngreen (2016) argue that current Hodgkin-Huxley-based modeling of neuronal activity lacks biophysical realism because it is purely electrical and ignores biochemistry, cytoplasmic ionic concentration changes, and other intracellular processes.
referenceThe Hodgkin and Huxley (HH) model of the action potential links Nernst’s treatment of the electrochemistry of semi-permeable membranes to the physical laws of electricity and Kelvin’s cable theory.
claimBottom-up models of the nerve impulse, such as the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model, suffer from a lack of generalization because they focus on the physics relevant to a specific purpose or application, such as explaining the electrical manifestations of the action potential.
quoteJerusalem et al. (2019) described bottom-up models of the nerve impulse as follows: “similar to the coupling of Nernst’s theory of the electrochemistry of semi-permeable membranes to the laws of electricity (e.g., Ohm’s and Coulomb’s laws) and Kelvin’s cable theory in the purely electrical HH model of the nerve impulse, aim primarily to itemize the different physics involved in the experimental observations linking them by physical laws.”
claimThe Hodgkin and Huxley model cannot accommodate non-electrical physical manifestations of action potential propagation, such as mechanical, thermal, and optical changes, for which there is experimental evidence.
referenceIn the Hodgkin and Huxley model, the action potential is presented as the result of depolarization-induced, voltage- and time-dependent opening and closure of ion channels in the membrane, allowing the passive flow of sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) ions into and out of the neuronal cytoplasm along their respective electrochemical ion gradients.
claimDe Schutter (2008) observed that the Hodgkin and Huxley model is a purely electrical model that makes no reference to biochemistry, changes to cytoplasmic ionic concentrations, or other intracellular processes.
claimThe Hodgkin and Huxley model describes the propagating action potential as a purely electrical phenomenon, representing the axon as a modified electronic circuit where the cell membrane functions as a capacitor and ion channels function as resistors.
claimThe cable equation, originally developed by Lord Kelvin and others in the mid-19th century to describe signal decay in underwater telegraph cables, serves as the foundation for the Hodgkin and Huxley model and general compartmental modeling of neurons.
claimAlan Hodgkin acknowledged in 1964 that the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model is dissipative in nature and fails to provide a plausible explanation for reversible, non-electrical manifestations of the nerve signal.
referenceThe Hodgkin and Huxley model treats the neuronal membrane as a capacitor and ion channels as resistors, where changes in ionic conductance across the membrane cause a sudden and transient alteration of the transmembrane potential.
perspectiveThe Hodgkin and Huxley model is regarded by some as the "crown jewel" of cellular neuroscience and by others as the "first compartmental model" in computational neuroscience.