Innovative definition of nature of the nerve impulses

Abstract

Neuroscientists describe the nerve impulses as electrical signals that travel down an axon or as a wave that has an action or electric potential. Such description may recognize a nature of the nerve impulses as electric current. However; the traditional definition of electric current as flow of electrons stands against such direct recognition of the nerve impulses, so it is defined as ions or ionic current. It will be reviewed in this study an entropy approach and results of one of Faraday’s experiment which defined the electric current as electromagnetic waves that have an electric potential. Such definition of electric current is found to be consistent with recognized features of the nerve impulses. Accordingly, it is investigated in this article a definition of the nerve impulses as electric charges and not as ions to account for detected thermoelectric aspects of these electric impulses. Then, it is suggested thermoelectric mechanisms of their generation and propagation as electric charges in the neural system. Such conclusion will simplify replacement of damaged neural cells by artificial mechanisms.

Keywords

• Nerve impulses
• Entropy
• Electric current
• Ionic current
• Maxwell’s equation