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The physical approach of a small particle (virus, medical drug) to the cell membrane represents the crucial first step before active internalization and is governed by thermal diffusion. Using a fully analytical theory we show that the…
The Fluid Mosaic Model by Singer & Nicolson proposes that biological membranes consist of a fluid lipid layer into which integral proteins are embedded. The lipid membrane acts as a two-dimensional liquid in which the proteins can diffuse…
Stimulated by ongoing discussions about the relevance of mechanical motion in the propagation of nerve signals capillary waves of water-based electrolytes in elastic tubular systems are considered as an essential ingredient. Their…
We investigated melting transitions in biological membranes in their native state that include their membrane proteins. These membranes originated from \textit{E. coli}, \textit{B. subtilis}, lung surfactant and nerve tissue from the spinal…
The in silico simulations are widely used in contemporary systems biology including the analysis of nerve pulse propagation. As known from numerous experiments, the propagation of an action potential is accompanied by mechanical and thermal…
The dynamical mechanism underlying the processes of anesthesia-induced loss of consciousness and recovery is key to gaining insights into the working of the nervous system. Previous experiments revealed an asymmetry between neural signals…
The recent theoretical and experimental studies have revealed many details of signal propagation in nervous systems. In this paper an attempt is made to unify various mathematical models which describe the signal propagation in nerve…
A theory of a lateral stress relaxation in a fluid bilayer membrane under a step-like pressure pulse is proposed. It is shown theoretically that transfer of lipid molecules into a strained region may lead to a substantial decrease of the…
An action potential is typically described as a purely electrical change that propagates along the membrane of excitable cells. However, recent experiments have demonstrated that non-linear acoustic pulses that propagate along lipid…
Here a viable and never before investigated mechanism of propagation of spikes along neurons is proposed. In the following, velocity of propagation of small-amplitude pressure waves through the cytoplasmic interior of myelinated and…
We investigate different mechanical effects which accompany the nerve pulse propagation by using mathematical modeling. The propagation process is composed by three connected phenomena: (i) the action potential (electrical signal) which is…
A neurophysiological thesis is proposed for thermal sensitivity that accounts for the disorder in physical processes that is fundamental to temperature. There is likely some form of thermal equilibrium rapidly established between…
We study the rheology of amorphous solids in the limit of negligible thermal fluctuations. On the basis of general arguments, the flow curve is shown to result from an interplay between the time scales of the macroscopic driving and the…
How internal forces are transduced into motion through soft, fluid membranes remains a fundamental question in the study of active systems. To investigate this coupling, we develop a minimal system consisting of a single ferromagnetic…
Mechanical algesia is an important process for the preservation of living organisms, allowing potentially life-saving reflexes or decisions when given body parts are stressed. Yet, its various underlying mechanisms remain to be fully…
In this pedagogical paper a coherent explanation of the resting potential of nerve cells is given in terms of its determining factors. These are the currents of active transport of the ions to which the membrane is permeable, their membrane…
Biological tissues exhibit diverse mechanical and rheological behaviors during morphogenesis. While much is known about tissue phase transitions controlled by structural order and cell mechanics, key questions regarding how tissue-scale…
A luminous stimulus which penetrates in a retina is converted to a nerve message. Ganglion cells give a response that may be approximated by a wavelet. We determine a function PSI which is associated with the propagation of nerve impulses…
Early recordings of nervous conduction revealed a notable thermal signature associated with the electrical signal. The observed production and subsequent absorption of heat arise from physicochemical processes that occur at the cell…
In these Lecture Notes we aim at clarifying how soft matter physics, and herein notably statistical mechanics and fluid mechanics, can be engaged to understand and manipulate non-equilibrium systems consisting of numerous (microscopic)…