My career has been devoted to the exploration of action potential propagation and how it is affected by changes in neuronal structures and channel properties. I have carried out experiments on axons, cells, and synapses in parallel with computer simulations of the biological preparations using the Hodgkin-Huxley equations for channel descriptions. Some of these explorations are encapsulated in the interactive CD Neurons in Action that I have published with my wife Ann E. Stuart, a Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The Neurons in Action tutorials are unique CD-ROM-based learning tools that combine HTML text with computer simulations of laboratory experiments in neurophysiology using the professional research simulator NEURON. Students can vary parameters and run experiments to learn about the generation of action potentials, synaptic potentials, and the spread or propagation of voltages within a variety of neuronal structures. With its novel use of interactive movies, Neurons in Action allows the student to visualize changing voltage patterns not only in time but in space, providing insight into nerve function that is simply not possible with conventional text and figure presentations.
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