Nerve Biophysics Tutorials

an interactive tutorial package to teach the principles of nerve biophysics.

David Dewhurst, Euan Brown and Lynne Robertson

This interactive tutorial is aimed at first year undergraduate students and covers the essential biophysics of nerve cells based largely on experiments conducted on giant axons of the squid. High quality graphics, and animations are used throughout together with student activities and self-assessment questions.

  • Vertebrate and invertebrate axons – structure and function of myelinated and non-myelinated axons, membrane structure and ion channels, Nodes of Ranvier, composition of intracellular and extracellular fluids
  • The Resting Potential: factors influencing the movement of ions across membranes, ion channels and diffusion potentials. The use of the Nernst and Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equations to model the resting membrane potential is introduced.
  • The Action Potential: describes the changes in membrane conductance which give rise to the action potential, the phases of the action potential, threshold of excitation, and refractory period.
  • Propagation of the Action Potential: local circuit theory, saltatory conduction, factors affecting conduction velocity e.g. axon diameter, myelination.

Language Versions: English

Hardware Requirements: Windows: Intel Pentium II 450MHz or faster processor (or equivalent), 128MB of RAM; Microsoft Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003
Macintosh: PowerPC G3 500MHz or faster processor, 128MB of RAM; Mac OS X

Recommended Browser Software: Windows: Internet Explorer; Macintosh: Safari or Firefox; Both: Adobe Flash Player plug-in, version 8 or higher

Target Audience: first year students on a range of biomedical or biological science courses (medicine, physiology, pharmacology, dentistry, health sciences) in which human physiology is a major component. May also be suitable for advanced high-school students of biology.

Price: £250 (multiuser/departmental educational licence)

ISBN 1 874758 21 2
©2011 Sheffield Bioscience Programs

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