Ligand-gated ion channel currents in a nonstationary lyotropic model.

Transmembrane currents in ligand-gated ion channels are calculated in a nonstationary, chemically open whole cell system or patch of a membrane. The model is lyotropic in the sense that dynamics, and parameters such as the ligand concentration for half-maximal response (scale of response), and threshold for firing, such as in neurons, become nonlinear functions of the reactant concentrations. The derived total currents fit recorded data significantly better than those derived from mass action, Ising, and other stationary type models, in which the derived response is often displaced from the assessed response by several orders in the ligand concentration. Also, the derived slope of response is in perfect agreement with the values assessed.