Insights into Nerve Signal Propagation: The Effect of Extracellular Space in Governing Neuronal Signal for healthy and injured Nerve Fiber using Modified Cable Model

Biswajit Das; Satyabrat Malla Bujar Baruah; Sneha Singh; Soumik Roy

doi:10.35882/jeeemi.v6i2.394

Biswajit Das Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India
Satyabrat Malla Bujar Baruah Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India
Sneha Singh Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India
Soumik Roy Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35882/jeeemi.v6i2.394

Keywords: Extracellular Space, Information loss, Information mismatch, Ion concentration, Modified Cable Model; Neuronal signal transmission

Abstract

Nerve injuries are complex medical conditions that may arise from a variety of traumatic events or diseases, altering the intricate structure of neural pathways. During neuronal injury, the potassium and sodium ion concentration that controls signaling endures significant changes such as the ion channels getting blocked or an increase in the intracellular ionic concentration. The Extracellular Space which surrounds a nerve fiber has a significant impact on the neuronal signal and variation in its size can alter neuronal signal transmission. Hence, to fully understand neuronal signal transmission, it is essential to explore the effect that the Extracellular Space exerts on the neuronal signal. The aim of this study is to develop a mathematical model which yields a simplistic yet robust mathematical expression of the nerve membrane potential, incorporating the Extracellular Space dependent parameters for having a holistic approach towards understanding neuronal signal transmission in healthy and injured nerve fiber. The conventional cable model focuses solely on the intrinsic properties of the nerve fiber, but the current work expands this model by incorporating the Extracellular Space dependent parameters into the final membrane potential expression. The results obtained from this study shows that certain combination of the Extracellular Space and fiber diameter could bring about hyperexcitation whereas in some cases it may lead to hypoexcitation to the neuronal signal as it propagates along the nerve fiber. Moreover, prolonged refractory period and delayed refractory period are also observed in certain combination of the Extracellular Space and fiber diameter. The proposed framework manages to show trends associated with certain medical conditions and may also be useful to further understand, and early diagnosis of various neurological conditions under the effect of an Extracellular Space of varied sizes.

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Author Biographies

Biswajit Das, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India

Biswajit Das is currently pursuing his Ph.D. from the department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University located in the city of Tezpur, Assam, India. His topic of research is neuroengineering where he focusses on mathematical modeling and simulation of biological neuron to understand different aspects of signal propagation and the cause for its occurrence, understanding the root cause for several neurological problems and the means to tackle it. He completed his Master of Technology from Tezpur University in the year 2018 with a specialization in bioelectronics.

Satyabrat Malla Bujar Baruah, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India

Satyabrat Malla Bujar Baruah has completed his Ph.D. from the department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University located in the city of Tezpur, India in the year 2023. His area of research is neuroengineering. Satyabrat Completed his Master of Technology from Tezpur University with a specialization in Electronics Design and Technology in the year 2016. He published his studies in many peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings in the field of neuroengineering.

Sneha Singh, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India

Sneha Singh has completed her bachelor’s degree in physics from Handique Girls’ College, Guwahati in 2020. She received her Master of Science degree in Electronics and Communication Technology from Gauhati University in 2023. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D from the department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India. Her research interests include neuro-engineering, specializing in study and analysis of nerve signal processing using machine learning algorithms.

Soumik Roy, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India

Soumik Roy is currently working as a Professor at the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Assam, India. He also acted as the Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tezpur University in the past. He was conferred with the doctorate degree from Tezpur University, India in 2011 for his research related to “Modeling and Simulation of Artificial Synapse” in the field of Neuroengineering. His research area includes Neuro-engineering, Healthcare, Hydroponics, Biomedical Engineering, Machine Learning, Cognitive Learning, Digital System Design, Instrumentation, Internet of Things, and Computer Vision. Roy completed the degrees of Master of Technology in Electronics Design & Technology from Tezpur University in 1999, and Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from Jorhat Engineering College in 1995. Being an active Life Member, Prof. Roy has been associated with the “Indian Academy of Neuroscience” and in addition, he had served Nagaland University as an expert member for the Board of Undergraduate Studies in Electronics & Communication Engineering.

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