Neurophysics

Neurophysics applies physical principles and quantitative methods to nervous systems, modeling neural activity, brain function, and their underlying mechanisms.

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Hodgkin–Huxley model: A set of equations describing how ion channels generate and propagate action potentials in a neuron. It models neural firing from membrane currents and ion-channel dynamics.
Membrane potential: The electrical potential difference across a cell membrane. It is the state variable at the heart of many models of neural signaling.
Electroencephalography: A method for recording voltage fluctuations from the scalp that reflect electrical activity in the brain. Its signals are interpreted using models of summed neural currents.
Hermann von Helmholtz: A German physicist and physiologist who measured nerve conduction speed and advanced sensory science. His nerve-conduction measurements helped establish that neural signaling has measurable physical properties.
Neuroscience: The scientific study of the nervous system, including its structure, function, development, and disorders. Neurophysics is a physical and quantitative approach within this broader study.
Cable theory: A mathematical framework for describing how electrical signals spread through elongated cells and their processes. It explains how dendrites and axons filter and transmit voltage changes.
Action potential: A brief, regenerative electrical impulse that travels along an excitable cell membrane. Its propagation is a central phenomenon for physical accounts of neural communication.
Magnetoencephalography: A technique that measures magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. It applies electromagnetic measurements to map the timing and location of neural activity.
Emil du Bois-Reymond: A German physiologist who helped establish electrophysiology through experiments on animal tissues. His measurements of electrical activity in nerves and muscles grounded neural study in physics.
Biophysics: The application of physical principles and methods to biological systems. Neurophysics is a nervous-system-focused branch of this broader field.