Flow of ions through voltage gated channels can be represented
theoretically using stochastic differential equations where the gating
mechanism is represented by a Markov model. The flow through a channel
can be manipulated using various drugs, and the effect of a given drug
can be reflected by changing the Markov model. These lecture notes
provide an accessible introduction to the mathematical methods needed to
deal with these models. They emphasize the use of numerical methods and
provide sufficient details for the reader to implement the models and
thereby study the effect of various drugs. Examples in the text include
stochastic calcium release from internal storage systems in cells, as
well as stochastic models of the transmembrane potential. Well known
Markov models are studied and a systematic approach to including the
effect of mutations is presented. Lastly, the book shows how to derive
the optimal properties of a theoretical model of a drug for a given
mutation defined in terms of a Markov model.