Effect of capacitors in the central nervous system on neural behavior

ORAL

Abstract

We are interested in studying the interaction of electromagnetic (EM) waves with the capacitors that are found within the nervous systems of mammals. It is widely known that the central nervous system contains capacitors which allow electrical signals to pass through and be transported to the next neuron. However, in-depth studies exploring the interaction of EM waves with the nervous system and its effect on neural behavior related to the values of the capacitance are currently sparse. The human nervous system is highly complex; therefore, the capacitance of a cell may vary over a range of several orders of magnitude, depending on the region of the body that cell is concentrated. In our work we show how, through the development of a mathematical equations combined with experimental results, we are able calculate the amount of energy transferred from EM waves to the capacitors in the nervous system. Knowing the capacitance values for cells allows us to calculate the action potential the stimulation will cause. This suggest that if we are able to quantify the transfer of energy from EM waves to a specific capacitor, we can then quantify the action potential generated for a specific neuron and predict the effect on the nervous system as well as neurological behavior.

Presenters

  • Douglas Boone

    Biology , James Madison University

Authors

  • Douglas Boone

    Biology , James Madison University

  • Giovanna Scarel

    Physics and Astronomy , James Madison University