FRACTAL PROPERTIES OF ION CHANNELS AND DIFFUSION

We focus our attention on a fractal model recently proposed by Liebovi tch to account for the lack of a time scale in ion channel kinetics. W e establish a connection between the dwell-time distributions and the correlation time of the ion channel signal, thereby making it possible to derive analytical predictions on the diffusion properties of a ran dom walk constructed from the sum of the current fluctuations of ion c hannels. With the help of a numerical simulation of the Lievovitch mod el, it is shown that the Hurst analysis can provide a reliable determi nation of the standard (or anomalous) diffusion properties. On the bas is of results of computer simulation we argue that by applying the Hur st analysis to the experimental distribution of closed times it is pos sible, in principle, to establish whether the Liebovitch model is vali d.