Nerve impulse and cardiovascular electrochemistry

The surface compartment model (SCM)14,15, which is a theory of ion transport focused on ionic process in electrical double layers at membrane protein surfaces, can explain these phenomena. The steady state physical properties of the discrete surface compartments are calculated from electrical double layer theory. 

Although the mechanisms of electroporation, electrofusion, and electroinsertion are not known, biophysical data suggest that the primary field pulse effect is interfacial polarization by ion accumulation at the membrane surfaces. The resulting transmembrane electric field causes rearrangements of the lipids such that pores are formed1718. Electropores anneal slowly (over a period of minutes) when the pulse is switched off. 

The importance of transmembrane potentials in cells has been demonstrated. Since the cells are totally enclosed by a membrane they naturally form an electrochemical cell. The cellular fluids contain sufficient concentrations of sodium, potassium, and chloride ions to be a good electrolyte, and potential differences originate in the intra- and extracellular membrane surfaces. We now discuss what happens when 

The nerve cell membrane separates the external from the internal cell fluid, as does any cell membrane. As is true of virtually all cells, the intra- and extracellular fluids are electrolytic solutions of almost equal conductivity, but their chemical composition is very different. The ions present in largest quantities are sodium and potassium. The species in the external fluid are made up of more than 90 per cent sodium and chloride ions in the cell interior there are principally potassium and organic ions that cannot pass through the membrane, only 10 per cent of the ions being sodium and chloride. 

The nerve impulse is called the action potential, and consists principally of two events that occur consecutively an influx of positive charge 

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