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Quantum Reports
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Quantum Aspects of Physiology
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Quantum Aspects of Physiology

A special issue of Quantum Reports (ISSN 2624-960X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 20909

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Lester Ingber

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Lester Ingber Research, Ashland, OR 97520, USA
Interests: path integral; quantum systems; neuron astrocyte interactions; multiscale modeling; financial options; supercomputer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Living systems have multiple scales of interaction, including quantum scales, as can be determined experimentally and theoretically. This Special Issue of Quantum Reports focuses on progress made in understanding explicit quantum aspects of these phenomena beyond metaphorical references to physics.

Prof. Dr. Lester Ingber
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Quantum Reports is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 272 KiB  
Article
Quantum Electrochemical Equilibrium: Quantum Version of the Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz Equation
by Abdallah Barjas Qaswal
Quantum Rep. 2020, 2(2), 266-277; https://doi.org/10.3390/quantum2020017 - 28 Apr 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5913
Abstract
The resting membrane voltage of excitable cells such as neurons and muscle cells is determined by the electrochemical equilibrium of potassium and sodium ions. This voltage is calculated by using the Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz equation. However, from the quantum perspective, ions with significant quantum tunneling [...] Read more.
The resting membrane voltage of excitable cells such as neurons and muscle cells is determined by the electrochemical equilibrium of potassium and sodium ions. This voltage is calculated by using the Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz equation. However, from the quantum perspective, ions with significant quantum tunneling through closed channels can interfere with the electrochemical equilibrium and affect the value of the membrane voltage. Hence, in this case the equilibrium becomes quantum electrochemical. Therefore, the model of quantum tunneling of ions is used in this study to modify the Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz equation in such a way to calculate the resting membrane voltage at the point of equilibrium. According to the present calculations, it is found that lithium—with its lower mass—shows a significant depolarizing shift in membrane voltage. In addition to this, when the free gating energy of the closed channels decreases, even sodium and potassium ions depolarize the resting membrane voltage via quantum tunneling. This study proposes the concept of quantum electrochemical equilibrium, at which the electrical potential gradient, the concentration gradient and the quantum gradient (due to quantum tunneling) are balanced. Additionally, this concept may be used to solve many issues and problems in which the quantum behavior becomes more influential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Aspects of Physiology)
7 pages, 255 KiB  
Article
Magnesium Ions Depolarize the Neuronal Membrane via Quantum Tunneling through the Closed Channels
by Abdallah Barjas Qaswal
Quantum Rep. 2020, 2(1), 57-63; https://doi.org/10.3390/quantum2010005 - 19 Jan 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 8718
Abstract
Magnesium ions have many cellular actions including the suppression of the excitability of neurons; however, the depolarization effect of magnesium ions seems to be contradictory. Thus several hypotheses have aimed to explain this effect. In this study, a quantum mechanical approach is used [...] Read more.
Magnesium ions have many cellular actions including the suppression of the excitability of neurons; however, the depolarization effect of magnesium ions seems to be contradictory. Thus several hypotheses have aimed to explain this effect. In this study, a quantum mechanical approach is used to explain the depolarization action of magnesium. The model of quantum tunneling of magnesium ions through the closed sodium voltage-gated channels was adopted to calculate the quantum conductance of magnesium ions, and a modified version of Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz equation was used to determine whether this quantum conductance was significant in affecting the resting membrane potential of neurons. Accordingly, it was found that extracellular magnesium ions can exhibit a depolarization effect on membrane potential, and the degree of this depolarization depends on the tunneling probability, the channels’ selectivity to magnesium ions, the channels’ density in the neuronal membrane, and the extracellular magnesium concentration. In addition, extracellular magnesium ions achieve a quantum conductance much higher than intracellular ones because they have a higher kinetic energy. This study aims to identify the mechanism of the depolarization action of magnesium because this may help in offering better therapeutic solutions for fetal neuroprotection and in stabilizing the mood of bipolar patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Aspects of Physiology)
8 pages, 263 KiB  
Article
The Myelin Sheath Maintains the Spatiotemporal Fidelity of Action Potentials by Eliminating the Effect of Quantum Tunneling of Potassium Ions through the Closed Channels of the Neuronal Membrane
by Abdallah Barjas Qaswal
Quantum Rep. 2019, 1(2), 287-294; https://doi.org/10.3390/quantum1020026 - 06 Dec 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5425
Abstract
The myelin sheath facilitates action potential conduction along the axons, however, the mechanism by which myelin maintains the spatiotemporal fidelity and limits the hyperexcitability among myelinated neurons requires further investigation. Therefore, in this study, the model of quantum tunneling of potassium ions through [...] Read more.
The myelin sheath facilitates action potential conduction along the axons, however, the mechanism by which myelin maintains the spatiotemporal fidelity and limits the hyperexcitability among myelinated neurons requires further investigation. Therefore, in this study, the model of quantum tunneling of potassium ions through the closed channels is used to explore this function of myelin. According to the present calculations, when an unmyelinated neuron fires, there is a probability of 9.15 × 10 − 4 that it will induce an action potential in other unmyelinated neurons, and this probability varies according to the type of channels involved, the channels density in the axonal membrane, and the surface area available for tunneling. The myelin sheath forms a thick barrier that covers the potassium channels and prevents ions from tunneling through them to induce action potential. Hence, it confines the action potentials spatiotemporally and limits the hyperexcitability. On the other hand, lack of myelin, as in unmyelinated neurons or demyelinating diseases, exposes potassium channels to tunneling by potassium ions and induces the action potential. This approach gives different perspectives to look at the interaction between neurons and explains how quantum physics might play a role in the actions occurring in the nervous system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Aspects of Physiology)
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