Engineering Electrophysiology

(3-0-0-3)

CMPE Degree: This course is Selected Elective for the CMPE degree.

EE Degree: This course is Selected Elective for the EE degree.

Lab Hours: 0 supervised lab hours and 0 unsupervised lab hours.

Technical Interest Groups / Course Categories: Threads / ECE Electives

Course Coordinator: William D Hunt

Prerequisites: ECE3040 [min C] or BMED 3510 [min D]

Catalog Description

Basic concepts of electrophysiology from an engineering perspective. Functionality of relevant organs and systems; instrumentation tools which monitor electrophysiological function. Crosslisted with BMED 4784.

Textbook(s)

Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach, The PN Junction Diode: Volume II (Modular Series on Solid State Dev., Vol 2)

Course Outcomes

Explain the basic concepts of electrophysiology and the analogies to active / passive electrical circuits.   

Explain the function of relevant organs, systems in the body as well as the analysis tools used to monitor and quantify those biological systems.

Strategic Performance Indicators (SPIs)

N/A

Topic List

  1. Membrane Biophysics: Diffusion across cell membrane, Nernst potentials, Diffusion potentials, Goldman equation
  2. Action Potentials: Membrane behavior, Origin of action potentials, Hodgkin-Huxley equations, Modeling, Propagation of action potentials, Subthreshold stimuli
  3. Electrical Stimulation of Excitable Tissue: Space Constants and Time Constants, Single Cell stimulation, Differential Equations and Green's Functions for nerve fibers
  4. Extracellular Fields: Monopole and Dipole models
  5. Electrophysiology of the Heart: Anatomy/physiology of heart, Heart Vector, Electrode configurations , Recording, Body surface potentials, Interface electronics
  6. Neuromuscular Junction: Transmitters, Poisson statistics, Post-junctional responses
  7. Skeletal Muscle: Anatomy/physiology of muscle, Myofibrils and filaments, Excitation contraction
  8. Functional Neuromuscular Stimulation: Electrodes, Nerve Excitation
  9. Quantitative Sensory Physiolog: Auditory Physiology, Retinal Physiology
  10. Interface Circuitry / Systems(Supplemental material may include): Brain Machine Interfaces, Skeletal Muscle interfaces