Sunday, September 03, 2017
Subcarrier?
Super-random thought after working on neurology courseware.
Myelin enables some neurons to conduct faster. An axon normally conducts a charge smoothly along its length. Myelin overlays the axon with longer jumps, like adding a system of town criers, stationed every three blocks, to a village. Without the criers a message has to be passed from house to house, and may take a full day to cross the village. With the criers a message can pass from one side of the village to the other in a few minutes.
But the gossips in the village are still whispering, and the slow movement of charge in the axon is still happening. When myelin is lost to disease, the nerves still conduct signals, but the conduction may be too slow for proper muscle action or proper feedback.
Dumb question: Since the axons don't decay or atrophy, they're still doing SOMETHING underneath the fast myelin-jumped conduction. What are they doing? Is this like a subcarrier? Is this the source of the 'alternate world' that is only available through dreams or drugs?
Labels: Asked and unanswered
¶ 12:40 AM
