Near-Pulse Solutions of the FitzHugh-Nagumo Equations on Cylindrical Surfaces

Abstract

We introduce a geometrical extension of the FitzHugh-Nagumo equations describing propagation of electrical impulses in nerve axons. In this extension, the axon is modeled as a warped cylinder, rather than a straight line, as is usually done, while pulses propagate on its surface, as is the case with real axons. We prove the stability of electrical impulses for a standard cylinder and existence and stability of pulse-like solutions for warped cylinders whose radii are small and vary slowly along their lengths.