Simplified estimation of membrane potentials induced by high-frequency electric signals

Abstract

In this paper we show why the poorly conducting cytoplasmic membranes have little effect on the overall impedance of the tissue above a certain frequency, and derive an estimate of this upper frequency. It is further shown that the induced transmembrane potentials at different sites over the membrane can be found through a simple formula for frequencies above the threshold, without the need to analytically or theoretically model the membranes directly. The findings are validated for an irregular cell shape through rigorous numerical modeling.