# Nerve Impulses vs. Solitons

**URL:** <https://forum.thousandbrains.org/t/nerve-impulses-vs-solitons/1190>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous\
**Tags:** nerve-impulse, soliton, video\
**Created:** [September 6, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://forum.thousandbrains.org/t/nerve-impulses-vs-solitons/1190 "2026-09-06T03:26:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rich\_Morin](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.thousandbrains.org/rich_morin/32/89_2.png) [@Rich\_Morin](https://forum.thousandbrains.org/u/Rich_Morin)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://forum.thousandbrains.org/t/nerve-impulses-vs-solitons/1190/1 "2026-09-06T03:26:50Z")

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I recently watched a rather nifty video, presenting the notion of a [soliton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soliton), a type of wave with rather peculiar behavior:

[This Strange Wave Changed Physics Forever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3P77vz0QyU)

At about 9:15, the presentation leaves the context of water and starts talking about other propagation media.

First, it talks about how solitons can be created in fiber optic channels and why this is a Good Thing (keeps the pulses from smearing out by frequency)

Then, it talks about the notion that nerve impulses may be a form of soliton. This is interesting, but well above my pay grade; might anyone want to comment?

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**Author:** ![AgentRev](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.thousandbrains.org/agentrev/32/651_2.png) [@AgentRev](https://forum.thousandbrains.org/u/AgentRev)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 6:35am UTC](https://forum.thousandbrains.org/t/nerve-impulses-vs-solitons/1190/2 "2026-09-08T06:35:22Z")

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The soliton model in neurons is a bit controversial. There are many mismatches between predictions and observations, listed here: [Soliton model in neuroscience - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soliton_model_in_neuroscience#Differences_between_model_predictions_and_experimental_observations)

The page is even flagged as “Possible fringe or quack theory”. The main scientist championing this model is Thomas Heimburg of the Niels Bohr Institute. A Wikipedia user had this opinion to share on the talk page:

> Heimburg is very clearly pushing the model as an alternative to Hodgkin Huxley. He is coy about it sometimes, but that is clearly the point.