Nerve signal discovery backs Nobel winner's theory

Scientists have proved a 60-year-old theory about how nerve signals are sent around the body at varying speeds as electrical impulses

2012-10-11

(Press-News.org) Scientists have proved a 60-year-old theory about how nerve signals are sent around the body at varying speeds as electrical impulses.

Researchers tested how these signals are transmitted through nerve fibres, which enables us to move and recognise sensations such as touch and smell.

The findings from the University of Edinburgh have validated an idea first proposed by Nobel laureate Sir Andrew Huxley.

It has been known for many years that an insulating layer – known as myelin – which surrounds nerve fibres is crucial in determining how quickly these signals are sent.

This insulating myelin is interrupted at regular intervals along the nerve by gaps called nodes.

Scientists, whose work was funded by the Wellcome Trust, have now proved that the longer the distance between nodes, the quicker the nerve fibres send signals down the nerves.

The theory that the distance between these gaps might affect the speed of electrical signals was first proposed by Sir Andrew Huxley, who won the Nobel Prize in 1963 for his work on electrical signalling in the nervous system, and who died earlier this year.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, will help provide insight into what happens in people with nerve damage. It will also shed light on how nerves develop before and after birth.

Professor Peter Brophy, Director of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Neuroregeneration, said: "The study gives us greater insight into how the central and peripheral nervous systems work and what happens after nerves become injured. We know that peripheral nerves have the capacity to repair, but shorter lengths of insulation around the nerve fibres after repair affect the speed with which impulses are sent around the body."

The researchers found that when the myelin reached a certain length, the speed with which nerves impulses were conducted reached a peak.

The study, carried out in mice, also confirmed that a protein – periaxin – plays a key role in regulating the length of myelin layers around nerve fibres.

### END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Arctic and Southern Oceans appear to determine the composition of microbial populations

2012-10-11

Differing contributions of freshwater from glaciers and streams to the Arctic and Southern oceans appear to be responsible for the fact that the majority of microbial communities that thrive near the surface at the Poles share few common members, according to an international team of researchers, some of whom were supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). In a paper published in the Oct. 8 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers report that only 25 percent of the taxonomic groups identified by genetic sequencing ...

England World Cup wins and losses linked to 30 percent rise in domestic violence

2012-10-11

Domestic violence rates rose by an average of 30 percent each time England won or lost their games during the 2010 World Cup, but draws had little impact on the statistics. Those are the key findings of research carried out by statistician Professor Allan Brimicombe and BBC News journalist Rebecca Cafe and published in the October issue of Significance, the magazine of The Royal Statistical Society and the American Statistical Association. As a consequence of this and previous research, Professor Brimicombe believes there is a strong case for schools to educate pupils ...

Plasma screens enhanced as disorder strikes

2012-10-11

A new study improves our understanding of plasma sources, a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionised and which are used for example in plasma display panels. These results revealed by physicists from the University of Greifswald, Germany, Robert Wild and Lars Stollenwerk, and are about to be published in EPJ D. Under certain circumstances, plasma tends to form structures such as filaments of electric discharge akin to mini-lightning. The authors specifically investigated a so-called barrier discharge, which features at least ...

Survey shows supplement users have strong interest in natural solutions to manage their cholesterol

2012-10-11

Montréal, Québec, Oct. 11, 2012 -- Over half (52 percent) of supplement users are concerned about their heart health and 73 percent express an interest in natural, clinically proven solutions for cholesterol reduction, according to market research conducted by Micropharma Limited, a pioneer in the development of innovative and effective probiotics. "People are looking for naturally sourced supplements that work naturally with the body's systems for balance and control," said Mitchell Jones, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer and co-founder, Micropharma. "We are launching ...

Preemies from low-income families at high risk for dangerous brain bleeds

2012-10-11

Babies born prematurely to low-income parents have a disproportionately high risk for developing dangerous brain bleeds that require multiple surgeries and extensive follow-up, according to a small Johns Hopkins Children's Center study. The findings - published online Sept. 28 in the journal Pediatric Neurosurgery and based on an analysis of 38 patients referred to Johns Hopkins for treatment of brain hemorrhages related to premature birth - offer a sobering reminder of the role socio-economic factors can play in health outcomes, the researchers say. The link between ...

New model to explain the role of dopamine in immune regulation described

2012-10-11

Amsterdam, NL, 11 October, 2012 – Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is associated with emotions, movement, and the brain's pleasure and reward system. In the current issue of Advances in Neuroimmune Biology, investigators provide a broad overview of the direct and indirect role of dopamine in modulating the immune system and discuss how recent research has opened up new possibilities for treating diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis or even the autoimmune disorders. Dopamine can be synthesized not only in neurons, ...

President's Bioethics Commission releases report on genomics and privacy

2012-10-11

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues today released its report concerning genomics and privacy. The report, Privacy and Progress in Whole Genome Sequencing, concludes that to realize the enormous promise that whole genome sequencing holds for advancing clinical care and the greater public good, individual interests in privacy must be respected and secured. As the scientific community works to bring the cost of whole genome sequencing down from millions per test to less than the cost of many standard diagnostic tests today, ...

Organic solar cells with high electric potential for portable electronics

2012-10-11

A new breakthrough in solar technology means portable electronic devices such as e-book readers could soon be re-charged on the move in low light levels and partial shading. Scientists from the University of Warwick, in collaboration with spin-out company Molecular Solar, have created an organic solar cell that generates a sufficiently high voltage to recharge a lithium-ion battery directly, without the need to connect multiple individual cells in series. Modules of these high voltage cells perform well in different light conditions including partial shade making them ...

Scientists use new method to help reduce piglet mortality

2012-10-11

This press release is available in Spanish. To help increase the survival of newborn piglets, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have developed a new method that predicts animals' mortality and nursing ability. Physiologist Jeffrey Vallet and his colleagues at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Neb., call the measuring technique the "immunocrit," which determines whether preweaning piglets receive adequate colostrum from the sow. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research ...

Bouncing on Titan

2012-10-11

VIDEO: The touchdown of ESA’s Huygens probe on Titan in January 2005 is relived in this animation. The sequence is shown in two speeds. The initial impact of the probe with... Click here for more information. ESA's Huygens probe bounced, slid and wobbled its way to rest in the 10 seconds after touching down on Saturn's moon, Titan, in January 2005, a new analysis reveals. The findings provide novel insight into the nature of the moon's surface. Scientists reconstructed the ...