Responses of Nerve Fibers to Mechanical Forces

Abstract

Living cells respond in one way or another to a wide variety of stimuli. Some cells are highly specialized with respect to both their sensitivity to stimuli and the way in which they respond. Nerve axons respond primarily to certain electrical and chemical stimuli and produce an electrochemical response. However, the specialization is not absolute. Many other kinds of stimuli can, under appropriate circumstances, produce responses in axons although the conditions required are not necessarily those usually found in vivo. In particular, the application of mechanical forces can produce electrical changes; such phenomena are interesting, not only because they may cast light on the structure and behavior of the axon but also because they may be important to the understanding of mechanoreception in general and may have relevance to problems of mechanical trauma.