Chaos and Physiology : Deterministic Chaos in Excitable Cell Assemblies

The main impetus for writing this review has been the increasing interest in the field of nonlinear dynamics, or chaos, as it is commonly called, and its application to physiology. The approach has generated both excitement and concern. As new information is gained, research may demonstrate that some of the exitement is appropriate and some inappropriate. Some of the present concern results from overstatements or misunderstandings that have polarized parts of the scientific community. We, of course, do not believe that nonlinear dynamics will answer all of our questions. However, we suggest that this approach may help us to answer new questions and to rearticulate old ones