A thermodynamical viewpoint on nerve pulse dynamics (Q1330838)

Models of nerve pulse dynamics (like the Hodgkin-Huxley and Fitz-Hugh- Nagumo models) are linked to the formalism of non-equilibrium thermodynamics of continuous media. This is done through identification of Voltage with elastic displacement, and of (empirical) recovery variables with internal variables. It is shown that among thermodynamically admissible models one can find not only dissipative examples but also solitonic ones.