Abstract
The characteristics of Hodgkin-Huxley equations have been investigated with a view to relating their properties to those of mechanoreceptors.
In the first half of this paper, the properties of the solutions under constant current are discussed in detail where the 4-variable system is reduced to a 2-variable system. Stability of equilibrium points and limit cycles is tested and it is shown that hysteresis exists in the relation between the current intensity and the stability of the system.
The latter part describes the responses of the Hodgkin-Huxley model to sinusoidal current superimposed on steadily maintained bias, where the current is assumed to represent mechanical stimuli applied to a mechanoreceptor. The solutions of the equations show qualitative analogy to the synchronization of mechanoreceptors to vibratory stimuli.
