Chronaxie
Encyclopedia
In the mathematical description of the functioning of the nervous system
, the chronaxie (or chronaxy) is the minimum time over which an electric current
, double the strength of the rheobase
, needs to be applied, in order to stimulate a muscle
fiber or nerve cell.
The terms "chronaxie" and "rheobase" were coined in 1909 by the French physiologist Louis Lapicque
.
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
, the chronaxie (or chronaxy) is the minimum time over which an electric current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
, double the strength of the rheobase
Rheobase
In neuroscience, rheobase is the minimal current amplitude of indefinite duration that results in the depolarization threshold of the cell membranes being reached In neuroscience, rheobase is the minimal current amplitude of indefinite duration (practically, a few hundred milliseconds) that...
, needs to be applied, in order to stimulate a muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
fiber or nerve cell.
The terms "chronaxie" and "rheobase" were coined in 1909 by the French physiologist Louis Lapicque
Louis Lapicque
Louis Lapicque was a French neuroscientist who was very influential in the early 20th century. One of his main contributions was to propose the integrate and fire model of the neuron in a seminal article published in 1907...
.
External links
- Accuracy limitations of chronaxie values. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2004 Jan;51(1):176-81.