Tuesday 12 June 2012

Neurons. Are they able to regenerate?

Neurons are a kind of nervous cell system. 
They are specialized in the reception of stimulus and nerve impulse conduction.
Have been discovered that neurons are able to grow in an adult brain, allowing the replacement of damaged neurons, this opens new possibilities for curing diseases like Parkinson's, paralysis and Evil Alzhehimer.

Previously it was believed that neurons, once they reach maturity, they did not return to unfold.  

However, this research has found that neurons in the adult brain continue to remodel and growing all life, which will explore the mechanisms of this continued growth and learning to stimulate and guide for medical purposes.  

Has also been found that the more neurons are used, dendrites affected grow more.


Visión piramidal de una neurona de un cerebro de ratón vivo. Photo / Wei-Chung Lee, Nedivi Lab.

Nerves


Nerves
Nerves are bundles of nerve extensions of white matter in the form of string that make the nerve centers communicate with every organ in the body. They are part of peripheral nervous system.  These signals, often called nerve impulses, are also known as action potential.
Epineurium: The last layer of a nerve and is composed of connective tissue cells and collagen fibers.
Structures:
·Perineurium: It each of the concentric layers of tissue which surrounds each of the smaller bundles of a nerve.
·Endoneurium: They're fine bundles of collagen fibers, along with some fibroblasts between nerve fibers. The endoneurium is composed of fine delicate reticular fibers surrounding each nerve fiber.
· Axolemma: Also known as axonal membrane, surrounds the axon of the nerve fiber.
·Schwann cells: cells able to produce the myelin that surrounds nerves.
·Oligodendrocytes: cells able to produce the myelin that surrounds some of the nerves.
The nerve has two essential properties: excitability and conductivity.

Excitability is the property that has the nerve cell to acquire a molecular vibration under the action of an exciting. The cell can be excited by a nerve center for an exciting natural light or artificial as an exciting electric shock. The stimulus spread is called a nerve impulse, and its passage from one point to another of the nerve fiber is the nerve conduction. The most used is electricity because it is very easy to regulate the intensity and duration of application.

Conductivity is the property that the peripheral nerve to ensure the propagation of vibration along the nerve in the wave form so that the wave is propagated in the water surface. For the exercise of the conductivity is necessary that has not undergone any nerve degeneration and in its trajectory have perfect continuity. In the normal nerve impulse intensity remains constant all the way.