Nodes of Ranvier are myelin sheath gaps. They appear along a myelinated axon where the axolemma is exposed to the extracellular space. Nodes of Ranvier are uninsulated and highly enriched in ion channels, allowing them to participate in the exchange of ions required to regenerate the action potential. Nerve conduction in myelinated axons is referred…
Tag: axons
RhoA: Protein Pulls The Brake On Growth Of Axons
Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) have found a protein that slows the growth of axons by pulling on a brake. Their results could one day be used to come up with new ways to treat spinal cord injuries. Neurons transmit electrical signals in a clearly defined direction – they are said…
Axons Are Optimized For Efficient Neural Signalling Dynamics
Axons are designed and optimized to balance the speed that information flows into the neuron relative to the time it takes the neuron to process that information, a team of bioengineers at UC San Diego reports. The finding could revolutionize our understanding of how signal flow in the brain can be measured and perturbed, and…