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The excitable membrane-biophysical theory and experiment

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Abstract

Very different biophysical theories can lead to similar or even identical predictions for a wide range of experiments. This was true for the original Rashevsky theory of membrane excitation, and the later Hill formulation. Similarly, the Hodgkin-Huxley equations for membrane current are based on two postulates: current proportional to total thermodynamic potential difference across the membrane, and the independence principle. Experiments used to confirm these postulates can be predicted as well by a model in which neither postulate applies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technological Institute, Northwestern University, 60201, Evanston, Ill

    Franklin F. Offner

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  1. Franklin F. Offner
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Offner, F.F. The excitable membrane-biophysical theory and experiment. Bltn Mathcal Biology 35, 101–107 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02558799

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02558799

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