Hodgkin–Huxley model

A set of nonlinear differential equations describing how voltage-dependent ion channels and membrane currents generate and propagate action potentials in the squid giant axon.

Action potential: A rapid, temporary reversal of electrical potential across an excitable cell membrane. The model reproduces the shape and propagation of this electrical event.
Hodgkin–Huxley equations: A system of differential equations for membrane voltage and ion-channel gating variables. They are the mathematical core of the model.
Alan Hodgkin: English physiologist who studied the electrical basis of nerve impulses and shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He co-developed the model and led the experiments on the squid giant axon.
Computational neuroscience: The study of nervous systems through mathematical models, computation, and quantitative analysis. The model helped establish quantitative simulation as a way to study neural activity.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: An annual international award recognizing discoveries in physiology or medicine. Hodgkin and Huxley received the 1963 prize for their discoveries concerning nerve impulses.
Membrane potential: The voltage difference between the inside and outside of a cell membrane. This is the changing state variable at the center of the model.
Equivalent circuit: A circuit representation that models a system’s electrical behavior using idealized components. The membrane is represented as a capacitor in parallel with ionic conductance pathways.
Andrew Huxley: English physiologist whose work on nerve impulses and muscle contraction earned the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He co-developed the equations and their experimental basis with Hodgkin.
Neuronal excitability: The ability of a neuron to generate electrical signals in response to stimuli. Its equations provide a mechanistic account of how excitability arises from membrane currents.
Chemical synapse: A junction where one cell communicates with another through neurotransmitter release and reception. The model clarified the electrical signal that reaches synapses and triggers transmission.

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