Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.
Rev Neurosci. 2021 Dec 17;33(3):285-302. doi: 10.1515/revneuro-2021-0094. Print 2022 Apr 26.
The thermodynamic theory of action potential propagation challenges the conventional understanding of the nerve signal as an exclusively electrical phenomenon. Often misunderstood as to its basic tenets and predictions, the thermodynamic theory is virtually ignored in mainstream neuroscience. Addressing a broad audience of neuroscientists, we here attempt to stimulate interest in the theory. We do this by providing a concise overview of its background, discussion of its intimate connection to Albert Einstein's treatment of the thermodynamics of interfaces and outlining its potential contribution to the building of a physical brain theory firmly grounded in first principles and the biophysical reality of individual nerve cells. As such, the paper does not attempt to advocate the superiority of the thermodynamic theory over any other approach to model the nerve impulse, but is meant as an open invitation to the neuroscience community to experimentally test the assumptions and predictions of the theory on their validity.
动作电位传播的热力学理论挑战了神经信号作为纯粹电现象的传统理解。热力学理论的基本原理和预测常常被误解，在主流神经科学中几乎被忽视。我们在此面向广大神经科学家，试图激发他们对该理论的兴趣。我们通过提供其背景的简明概述、讨论它与阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦（Albert Einstein）对界面热力学处理的密切关系，以及概述它对建立物理大脑理论的潜在贡献来实现这一目标，该理论牢固地基于第一性原理和单个神经细胞的生物物理现实。因此，本文并非试图主张热力学理论优于任何其他模型神经冲动的方法，而是作为向神经科学界发出的公开邀请，邀请他们根据该理论的假设和预测进行实验验证。
