A quantitative description of membrane current and its application to conduction and excitation in nerve
Alan L. Hodgkin, Andrew F. Huxley
Summary
Drawing on voltage-clamp measurements of ionic currents in the squid giant axon, Hodgkin and Huxley developed a quantitative mathematical model describing membrane current as the sum of separate sodium, potassium, and leak conductances that vary with voltage and time. Using a system of nonlinear differential equations with voltage-dependent gating variables, they reproduced the form, amplitude, and conduction velocity of the action potential and other excitation phenomena. The model unified their experimental findings and became the foundational framework for quantitative electrophysiology.
Key findings
- Membrane ionic current was decomposed into voltage- and time-dependent sodium and potassium conductances plus a small leak current.
- A set of nonlinear differential equations with gating variables (m, h, n) quantitatively reproduced the action potential, its threshold, refractory period, and propagation velocity.
- The computed conduction velocity and action-potential waveform closely matched experimental recordings from the squid giant axon, validating the model.
Subjects & keywords
Cite this paper
Alan L. Hodgkin, & Andrew F. Huxley (1952). A quantitative description of membrane current and its application to conduction and excitation in nerve. The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1952.sp004764
@article{hodgkin1952quantitative,
author = {Alan L. Hodgkin and Andrew F. Huxley},
title = {A quantitative description of membrane current and its application to conduction and excitation in nerve},
journal = {The Journal of Physiology},
year = {1952},
doi = {10.1113/jphysiol.1952.sp004764},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1952.sp004764}
}