Feedback control of Hodgkin-Huxley nerve cell dynamics

Abstract

Two feedback schemes for controlling nerve cell dynamics governed by Hodgkin-Huxley model were designed and evaluated in computer simulations. By combining a state feedback controller for control of membrane voltage with an optimal controller (model predictive control, MPC), a closed-loop cascaded control of the essential biophysical states causing electrical signal generation in nerve cells was achieved. These states correspond to ion channel opening / closing. The controller exhibited disturbance rejection and permitted control of nerve cell dynamics in noisy conditions. The use of MPC allowed the generation of biophysically plausible control signals by tuning both the MPC cost function and the constraints on the controller output. This new theoretical developments can open new possibilities in the design of electrical rehabilitation systems.