ELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF TISSUES

1. INTRODUCTIONThe electrical properties of biological tissues and cell sus-pensions have been of interest for over a century for manyreasons. They determine the pathways of current flowthrough the body and, thus, are very important in theanalysis of a wide range of biomedical applications such asfunctional electrical stimulation and the diagnosis andtreatment of various physiological conditions with weakelectric currents, radio-frequency hyperthermia, electro-cardiography, and body composition. On a more funda-mental level, knowledge of these electrical properties canlead to an understanding of the underlying basic biologicalprocesses. Indeed, biological impedance studies have longbeen important in electrophysiology and biophysics; one ofthe first demonstrations of the existence of the cell mem-brane was based on dielectric studies on cell suspensions(1).To analyze the response of a tissue to electric stimula-tion, we need data on the specific conductivities and rel-ative permittivities of the tissues or organs. A microscopicdescription of the response is complicated by the variety ofcell shapes and their distribution inside the tissue as wellas the different properties of the extracellular media.Therefore, a macroscopic approach is most often used tocharacterize field distributions in biological systems.Moreover, even on a macroscopic level, the electrical prop-erties are complicated. They can depend on the tissue ori-entation relative to the applied field (directionalanisotropy), the frequency of the applied field (the tissueis neither a perfect dielectric nor a perfect conductor), orthey can be time- and space-dependent (e.g., changes intissue conductivity during electropermeabilization).2. BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS IN AN ELECTRIC FIELDThe electrical properties of any material, including bio-logical tissue, can be broadly separated into two catego-ries: conducting and insulating. In a conductor, theelectric charges move freely in response to the applicationof an electric field, whereas in an insulator (dielectric), thecharges are fixed and not free to move. A more detaileddiscussion of the fundamental processes underlying theelectrical properties of tissue can be found in Foster andSchwan (2).If a conductor is placed in an electric field, charges willmove within the conductor until the interior field is zero.In the case of an insulator, no free charges exist, so netmigration of charge does not occur. In polar materials,however, the positive and negative charge centers in themolecules do not coincide. An electric dipole moment, p,issaid to exist. An applied field, E