Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

A Thermodynamic Interpretation of the Stimulated Raman Signature of an Action Potential in a Neuron

View ORCID ProfileShamit Shrivastava, Hyeon Jeong Lee, View ORCID ProfileJi-Xin Cheng
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.20.052332
Shamit Shrivastava
1Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
2Institute for Sound and Light, Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Shamit Shrivastava
  • For correspondence: shamit.shrivastava@eng.ox.ac.uk
Hyeon Jeong Lee
3Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, MA USA
4Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, MA USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Ji-Xin Cheng
3Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, MA USA
4Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, MA USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Ji-Xin Cheng
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Abstract

It has previously been suggested that the plasma membrane condenses and melts reversibly during an action potential in a neuron. If true it has fundamental consequences for our understanding of the regulation of biological functions during an action potential. It has long been known that the electrical dipoles in the neuronal membrane reorient during an action potential, observed through a variety of optical methods. However, this information has been insufficient to confirm if and how the collective thermodynamic state of the neuronal membrane changes during an action potential. Here, we show that hyperspectral stimulated Raman spectroscopy can resolve the thermodynamic state of the neuronal membranes in a single neuron during an action potential. Based on these measurements we provide the first evidence that the system condenses during the de-polarisation phase and melts during the polarisation phase.

Statement of Significance While action-potentials can be measured using a variety of methods, none of these methods have been able to provide sufficient information to characterise the collective thermodynamic state of the membrane during an action-potential. Therefore, new tools are required to satisfactorily resolve the fundamental nature of the phenomenon, i.e. does the wave-front propagates irreversibly/diffusively as in the burning of a fuse, or reversibly/elastically as in the propagation of sound. It has been postulated that if action-potentials indeed propagate elastically, then the membrane must undergo a localised condensation during the action-potential. This article confirms and quantifies the condensation of the membrane during an action-potential based on time-resolved changes in the Raman band at 2930 cm−1, also known as the “melting-marker”.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • Added a limitation and challenges section and references.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted April 28, 2020.
Download PDF
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
A Thermodynamic Interpretation of the Stimulated Raman Signature of an Action Potential in a Neuron
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
A Thermodynamic Interpretation of the Stimulated Raman Signature of an Action Potential in a Neuron
Shamit Shrivastava, Hyeon Jeong Lee, Ji-Xin Cheng
bioRxiv 2020.04.20.052332; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.20.052332
Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo LinkedIn logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
A Thermodynamic Interpretation of the Stimulated Raman Signature of an Action Potential in a Neuron
Shamit Shrivastava, Hyeon Jeong Lee, Ji-Xin Cheng
bioRxiv 2020.04.20.052332; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.20.052332

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Biophysics
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (4684)
  • Biochemistry (10361)
  • Bioengineering (7675)
  • Bioinformatics (26337)
  • Biophysics (13529)
  • Cancer Biology (10686)
  • Cell Biology (15440)
  • Clinical Trials (138)
  • Developmental Biology (8497)
  • Ecology (12821)
  • Epidemiology (2067)
  • Evolutionary Biology (16862)
  • Genetics (11399)
  • Genomics (15478)
  • Immunology (10617)
  • Microbiology (25219)
  • Molecular Biology (10223)
  • Neuroscience (54473)
  • Paleontology (401)
  • Pathology (1668)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (2897)
  • Physiology (4342)
  • Plant Biology (9247)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (1586)
  • Synthetic Biology (2558)
  • Systems Biology (6781)
  • Zoology (1466)