Cable Theory

Classical cable theory uses mathematical models to calculate the flow of electric current (and accompanying voltage) along passive neurites, particularly the dendrites that receive synaptic inputs at different sites and times. Estimates are made by modeling dendrites and axons as cylinders composed of segments with capacitances and resistances combined in parallel (See Fig. 1). The capacitance of a neuronal fiber comes about because electrostatic forces are acting through the very thin phospholipid bilayer (See Figure 2). The resistances in series along the fiber is due to the axoplasm’s significant resistance to movement of electric charge.