BASIC EXPERIMENTS
The basic types of experiments described in the following sections are numbered for comparison to correspond roughly to related neurophysiological concepts summarized in the previous section.
1. Cellular Structure
The primary object of our research is the control and determination of dynamic behavior in response to electrical stimulation in close-packed aggregates of small pellets submerged in electrolyte. Typically, the aggregate contains (among other things) iron and the electrolyte contains nitric acid, this combination making possible the propagation of electrochemical surface waves of excitation through the body of the aggregate similar to those of the Lillie iron-wire nerve model. The iron pellets are imbedded in and supported by a matrix of small dielectric (such as glass) pellets. Furthermore, with the addition of soluble salts of various noble metals to the electrolyte, long interstitial dendritic or fibrous structures of the second metal can be formed whose length and distribution change by electrodeposition in response to either internal or externally generated fields.
Figure 1—Test chamber and
fluid exchanger
Coupling between isolated excitable (iron) sites is greatly affected by the fine structure and effective bulk resistivity of the glass and fluid medium which supports and fills the space between such sites. In general ([see Section 3, following]) it is necessary, to promote strong coupling between small structures, to impede the “short-circuit” return flow of current from an active or excited surface, through the electrolyte and back through the dendritic structure attached to the same excitable site. This calls for control (increase) of the bulk resistivity, preferably by means specifically independent of electrolyte composition, which relates to and affects surface phenomena such as recovery (i.e., the “refractory” period). [Figure 2] illustrates the way in which this is being done, i.e., by appropriate choice of particle size distributions. The case illustrated shows the approximate proper volume ratios for maximum resistivity in a two-size-phase random mixture of spheres.
2. Regenerative Loops
[Figure 3] shows an iron loop (about 2-inch diameter) wrapped with a silver wire helix which is quite stable in 53-55% acid and which will easily support a circulating pattern of three impulses. For demonstration, unilateral waves can be generated by first touching the iron with a piece of zinc (which produces two oppositely travelling waves) and then blocking one of them with a piece of platinum or a small platinum screen attached to the end of a stick or wand. Carbon blocks may also be used for this purpose.
The smallest regenerative or reverberatory loop which we are at present able to devise is about 1 mm in diameter. Multiple waves, as expected, produce stable patterns in which all impulses are equally spaced. This phenomenon can be related to the slightly slower speed characteristic of the relative refractory period as compared with a more fully recovered zone.