High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Depolarization Spatial Distribution and Membrane Potential Measurement of Neural Soma Based on Sodium Ion Channel Optical Model

Abstract

To modern neuroscience, how to measure and quantify membrane potential distribution with spatial and temporal is a major challenge. For this challenge, in this paper, we take advantage of the sodium ion channel optical model to investigate depolarization distribution of rat nodose ganglion neuronal somatic (about 80μm2) membrane with high temporal resolution (about 0.01ms) and spatial resolution (about 1.9nm2). We can observe the incremental change process of membrane local area membrane electric potential under a high temporal and spatial resolution. in subthreshold stimulation (−50mV) and superthreshold stimulation (−40mV), time and space dynamic process of generation, development, diffusion of neuron cell body membrane potential depolarization. According to the simulation results, we measure the membrane potential at different time on an arbitrary position in the membrane of the cell body and find that the incremental peak of membrane potential in the cell membrane is randomly distributed. Such random distribution is caused by a random distribution of the sodium channels in the cell membrane and the randomly opening up of sodium ion channels. One advantage of the model is the ability to measure from all locations of cell membrane simultaneously. This is especially important in the study of many parts of an individual cell are active at the same time.