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Related Concept Videos

Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potentials01:41

Action Potentials

Overview
Amplifying Signals via Second Messengers01:15

Amplifying Signals via Second Messengers

Many receptor binding ligands are hydrophilic; they do not cross the cell membrane but bind to cell-surface receptors. Thus, their message must be relayed by second messengers present in the cell cytoplasm. There are several second messenger pathways, each with its own way of relaying information. For example, the G protein-coupled receptors can activate both phosphoinositol and cyclic AMP (cAMP) second messenger pathways. The phosphoinositol pathway is active when the receptor induces...
Neurons: The Axon01:21

Neurons: The Axon

Axons are long, cytoplasmic processes of nerve cells capable of propagating electrical impulses known as action potentials. The cytoplasm or axoplasm of an axon contains neurofibrils, neurotubules, small vesicles, lysosomes, mitochondria, and various enzymes, all encased within the axolemma, the plasma membrane of the axon.
The axon attaches to the cell body at a cone-shaped elevation called the axon hillock. The initial part of the axon, closest to the hillock, is known as the initial segment.
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation01:19

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.

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Interfacing Microfluidics with Microelectrode Arrays for Studying Neuronal Communication and Axonal Signal Propagation
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Interfacing Microfluidics with Microelectrode Arrays for Studying Neuronal Communication and Axonal Signal Propagation

Published on: December 8, 2018

Microchannels as axonal amplifiers.

James J Fitzgerald1, Stéphanie P Lacour, Stephen B McMahon

  • 1Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, E.D. Adrian Building, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 2PY, UK. jjf30@cam.ac.uk

IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering
|March 13, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Confining axons in microchannels significantly amplifies extracellular neural signals, overcoming challenges in developing high-resolution peripheral nerve interfaces. This novel approach enhances signal detection for improved neural recording technologies.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Modeling

Background:

  • Developing implantable neural interfaces for high-resolution peripheral nerve recording remains a significant challenge.
  • Extracellular axonal signals are small, decay rapidly, and are concentrated near nodes of Ranvier, complicating signal acquisition.
  • Existing device designs struggle to reliably capture these subtle neural signals over the long term.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the electrical behavior of axons within microchannels using a finite element model.
  • To determine if microchannel confinement can amplify extracellular axonal signals for improved neural interface design.
  • To assess the impact of microchannels on signal characteristics like decay and crosstalk.

Main Methods:

  • Development and application of a finite element model to simulate axonal electrical activity.
  • Modeling the behavior of myelinated axons within specifically designed microchannels.
  • Analysis of extracellular voltage generation, signal decay, and axial amplitude variation.

Main Results:

  • Confining axons in microchannels substantially amplifies the extracellular signal, with predictions of over 10 mV for a 10-microm myelinated axon.
  • Minimal radial signal decay and smooth axial amplitude variation were observed within the microchannels, independent of node location.
  • Larger myelinated fibers produced greater extracellular voltage, and signal gain reduced to unity at channel ends, preventing crosstalk.

Conclusions:

  • A microchannel architecture offers a promising solution for enhancing extracellular signal detection in peripheral nerve interfaces.
  • This approach addresses key challenges related to signal amplitude, decay, and crosstalk, paving the way for improved neural recording.
  • The findings support the suitability of microchannel designs for reliable, long-term, high-resolution neural recording from peripheral nerves.