A Tridomain Model for Potassium Clearance in Optic Nerve of Necturus
Abstract
The accumulation of potassium in the narrow space outside nerve cells is a classical subject of biophysics that has received much attention recently. It may be involved in potassium accumulation \textcolor{black}{including} spreading depression, perhaps migraine and some kinds of epilepsy, even (speculatively) learning. Quantitative analysis is likely to help evaluate the role of potassium clearance from the extracellular space after a train of action potentials. Clearance involves three structures that extend down the length of the nerve: glia, extracellular space, and axon and so need to be described as systems distributed in space in the tradition used for electrical potential in the `cable equations' of nerve since the work of Hodgkin in 1937. A three-compartment model is proposed here for the optic nerve and is used to study the accumulation of potassium and its clearance. The model allows the convection, diffusion, and electrical migration of water and ions. We depend on the data of Orkand et al to ensure the relevance of our model and align its parameters with the anatomy and properties of membranes, channels, and transporters: our model fits their experimental data quite well. The aligned model shows that glia has an important role in buffering potassium, as expected. The model shows that potassium is cleared mostly by convective flow through the syncytia of glia driven by osmotic pressure differences. A simplified model might be possible, but it must involve flow…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Calcium Ions in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System
- AI-powered in silico twins: redefining precision medicine through simulation, personalization, and predictive healthcare
- In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene
- In Silico drug repurposing pipeline using deep learning and structure based approaches in epilepsy
- Targeting serotonin receptors with phytochemicals – an in-silico study
- In silico exploration of anti-prostate cancer compounds from differential expressed genes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.