Abstract
We have discussed the production of local circuit currents as a consequence of membrane activation and the role these currents play in propagation of excitation. Because such currents flow, in part, in the extracellular medium they may be detected with extracellular electrodes or even body surface electrodes. The electrocardiogram is a familiar such example: The sources of these body surface potentials are the combined action currents of many cardiac cells. The goal of this chapter is to describe mathematical relations that link the cellular action potential with the volume conductor fields (action current fields) associated with them. Such quantitative relationships permit an examination of the “inverse” process where from extracellular measurements one may deduce the behavior of underlying cells. This would be valuable for both basic research as well as for clinical studies.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
R. Plonsey, Bioelectric Phenomena, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1969.
R. Plonsey, Action potential sources and their volume conductor fields, Proc. IEEE 65: 601–611 (1977).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Plonsey, R., Barr, R.C. (1988). Extracellular Fields. In: Bioelectricity. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9456-4_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9456-4_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9458-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9456-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive