Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: FUNDAMENTALS OF NERVE AND MUSCLE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY

Department: Bioengineering

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: An introduction to cellular electrophysiology. Includes development of whole-cell models for neurons and muscle (cardiac and skeletal muscle) cells, based on ion channel currents obtained from whole-cell voltage-clamp experiments. Material balance equations are developed for various ions and chemical signaling agents (e.g., second messengers). Numerical methods are introduced for solving the ordinary and partial differential equations associated with these models. Several types of cell models are discussed ranging from neurons and muscle cells to sensory cells of mechanoreceptors, auditory hair cells and photoreceptor cells. Volume conductor boundary-value problems frequently encountered in electrophysiology are posed. Course provides a cellular basis for the interpretation of macroscopic bioelectric signals such as the electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyogram (EMG), electroretinogram (ERG) and electroencephalogram. Cross-list: ELEC 381. Knowledge of ordinary differential equations, electrical circuits and electromatgnetic field theory at the level of elementary physics.