dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaOsmotically Driven Shape Transformations in Axons
| Authors | Pramod A. Pullarkat, Paul Dommersnes, Pablo Fernández, Jean-François Joanny, Albrecht Ott, . |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0603122 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0603122 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.048104 |
| Journal | Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 048104 (2006) |
Abstract
We report a cylindrical-peristaltic shape transformation in axons exposed to a controlled osmotic perturbation. The peristaltic shape relaxes and the axon recovers its original geometry within minutes. We show that the shape instability depends critically on swelling rate and that volume and membrane area regulation are responsible for the shape relaxation. We propose that volume regulation occurs via leakage of ions driven by elastic pressure, and analyse the peristaltic shape dynamics taking into account the internal structure of the axon. The results obtained provide a framework for understanding peristaltic shape dynamics in nerve fibers occurring in vivo.
{
"annotation_id": "959404d6-ce67-405c-9a0e-f93392f91477",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:07.071000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:01:07.071000Z",
"file_hash": "3a3a9d00c8fd58ae15e177d1482b837874faea7b8dc44014ee0f11fe9c0420a2",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "We report a cylindrical-peristaltic shape transformation in axons exposed to\na controlled osmotic perturbation. The peristaltic shape relaxes and the axon\nrecovers its original geometry within minutes. We show that the shape\ninstability depends critically on swelling rate and that volume and membrane\narea regulation are responsible for the shape relaxation. We propose that\nvolume regulation occurs via leakage of ions driven by elastic pressure, and\nanalyse the peristaltic shape dynamics taking into account the internal\nstructure of the axon. The results obtained provide a framework for\nunderstanding peristaltic shape dynamics in nerve fibers occurring in vivo.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0603122",
"authors": [
"Pramod A. Pullarkat",
"Paul Dommersnes",
"Pablo Fern\u00e1ndez",
"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Joanny",
"Albrecht Ott",
"."
],
"categories": [
"physics.bio-ph",
"physics.flu-dyn"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.048104",
"journal_ref": "Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 048104 (2006)",
"title": "Osmotically Driven Shape Transformations in Axons",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0603122"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "fb33a77e-603b-4d5d-b033-af4bc33174a0",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}