Part I: INTRODUCTION I.1 Early Nerve Studies I.2 The early period of electrophysiology I.3 The Hodgkin-Huxley model and beyond I.4 Another line of thought I.5 Scope of this book Part II: THERMODYNAMICS II.1 Fundamental laws in thermodynamics II.2 Some statistical Thermodynamics II.

3 Entropy II.4 The fluctuation relations Part III: PROPERTIES OF NERVES III.1 Structure of nerves III.2 Electrical properties of nerves III.3 The dimensions of the nerve pulse III.4 Mechanical properties of the nerve pulse III.5 Optical changes during the action potential III.6 Heat production and temperature changes during the nerve pulse III.

7 Magnetic fields generated during the action potential III.8 Collisions of nerve pulses Part IV: BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY IV.1 Some historical considerations IV.2 Cable theory IV.3 Voltage Gating IV.4 The Hodgkin-Huxley model IV.5 Implications of the Hodgkin-Huxley model Part V: PROPERTIES OF ARTIFICIAL AND BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES V.1 Membrane Structure V.

2 Membrane Melting V.3 Phase behavior, domains and rafts V.4 Influence of hydrostatic pressure and lateral pressure V.5 Curvature V.6 Influence of pH and ionic strength V.7 Influence of Voltage V.8 Influence of Drugs and proteins Part VI: FLUCTUATIONS AND SUSCEPTIBILITIES VI.1 Entropy and fluctuations VI.

2 Heat capacity VI.3 Relation between enthalpy, volume and area changes VI.4 Transitions and elastic constants VI.5 Sound propagation VI.6 Capacitance and capacitive susceptibility VI.7 Relaxation timescales Part VII: THE SOLITON THEORY VII.1 Hydrodynamics and sound propagation VII.2 Sound velocity in nerve membranes VII.

3 The frequency dependence of the sound velocity VII.4 The nerve pulse as an electromechanical soliton VII.5 Nerve contraction and pulse trains VII.6 Excitation of solitons VII.7 Pulse collisions VII.8 Pulses on monolayers Part VIII: CHANNELS VIII.1 Protein ion channels VIII.2 The permeability of lipid membranes VIII.

3 Voltage-gated lipid channels VIII.4 Mechanosensitive lipid channels VIII.5 Temperature sensing VIII.6 The influence of drugs on membrane permeability and lipid ion channels VIII.7 Channel lifetimes VIII.8 Selectivity of lipid channels VIII.9 Proteins as catalysts for lipid channel formation Part IX: MEDICAL CONSEQUENCES IX.1 Factors that influence excitation thresholds IX.

2 Anesthesia IX.3 Adaptation IX.4 Nerve Stretching IX.5 Tremor and lithium IX.6 Ultrasound neurostimulation.