The Electron Capture Hypothesis - A Challenge to Neuroscientists

Introduction Within an ion channel lower speed positive ions are stopped a reversed by the repelling electric field as soon as internal voltage goes positive. A typical potential barrier approaches +40 mV; assuming a 4 nm long channel this amounts to +10 megavolts per meter (MeV/m) which is very high indeed, higher than the field for lightening in the sky. Reversed ions drift back to where they came from and obviously do not transfer charge. Consequently there ought to be a reduction in the risetime of a neural pulse as internal voltage goes positive. Such distortions are not observed. To resolve this dilemma, it has been proposed that instead of ions being transmitted, electrons are captured (Burger 2009).