Bioelectric Phenomena

3 units

This course is a quantitative introduction to the origins of bioelectricity, with an emphasis on neural and cardiac electrophysiology. Topics will include electric fields and current flow in volume conductors; cell membrane channels and their role in generating membrane potentials; and action potentials and their propagation in myelinated and unmyelinated axons as well as cardiac tissue. Minor topics of discussion will include both skeletal muscle and non-human (e.g., electric fish) sources of bioelectricity.