This mini-review summarizes current ideas of how hyperbaric gases (>1-10 ATA) affect neuronal mechanisms of excitability through molecular interaction with membrane components. The dynamic nature of the lipid bilayer, its resident proteins, and the underlying cytoskeleton, makes each respective nanostructure a potential target for modulation by hyperbaric gases. Depending on the composition of the gas mixture, the relative concentrations of O₂ and inert gas, and total barometric pressure, the net effect of a particular gas on the cell membrane will be determined by the gas' i) lipid solubility, ii) ability to oxidize lipids and proteins (O₂), and iii) capacity, in the compressed state, to generate localized shear and strain forces between various nanostructures. A change in the properties of any one membrane component is anticipated to change conductance of membrane-spanning ion channels and thus neuronal function.