Action potentials of curved nerves in finite limbs

Abstract

Previous simulations of volume-conducted nerve-fiber action-potentials have modeled the limb as semi-infinite or circularly cylindrical, and the fibers as straight lines parallel to the limb surface. The geometry of actual nerves and limbs, however, can be considerably more complicated. This paper presents a general method for computing the potentials of fibers with arbitrary paths in arbitrary finite limbs. It involves computing the propagating point-source response (PPSR), which is the potential arising from a single point source (dipole or tripole) travelling along the fiber. The PPSR can be applied to fibers of different conduction velocities by simple dilation or compression. The method is illustrated for oblique and spiralling nerve fibers. Potentials from oblique fibers are shown to be different for orthodromic and antidromic propagation. Such results show that the straight-line models are not always adequate for nerves with anatomical amounts of curvature.