Memristor Analysis in the Hodgkin-Huxley Axon Model

Type: Medical
Project Members: Dan Fu
Date: Summer 2012

The Hodgkin-Huxley model, introduced in 1952 as a model for the squid giant axon, provides an accurate numerical approximation of action potentials in neurons. However, the model does not provide an explanation for the nonlinear dynamic mechanisms that give birth to the action potentials.

An understanding of such a mechanism would have myriad implications in the field of neuroscience, ranging from better treatment for neurological diseases to improvement of brain function. In early 2012, it was shown that the Hodgkin-Huxley model utilizes memristors. This project aims to use the mathematical properties of memristors to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms which give rise to action potentials.