From owner-biophys@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk Mon Jan 21 04:16:44 2002 Return-Path: Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id 44E8417A63 for ; Mon, 21 Jan 2002 04:16:43 +0000 (GMT) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8FBEB17A81 for ; Mon, 21 Jan 2002 04:16:40 +0000 (GMT) Received: from niobium.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (niobium [193.62.192.41]) by mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9FC0817A63 for ; Mon, 21 Jan 2002 04:16:38 +0000 (GMT) Received: (from news@localhost) by niobium.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (8.9.3+Sun/8.8.8) id EAA22890 for biophys-list@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk; Mon, 21 Jan 2002 04:15:18 GMT X-Authentication-Warning: niobium.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk: news set sender to using -f From: paul.smith@anu.edu.au (Paul Smith) X-Newsgroups: bionet.biophysics Subject: &replyto=e3UHouvnBHA.1804@cpimsnntpa02&subject=Re: electromagnetics Date: 21 Jan 2002 04:15:15 -0000 Organization: BIOSCI/MRC Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre Lines: 35 Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20020121155301.013041cc@pophost.anu.edu.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Complaints-To: news@net.bio.net X-Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id 94CC517A81 for ; Mon, 21 Jan 2002 04:15:12 +0000 (GMT) X-Received: from mail.anu.edu.au (mail.anu.edu.au [150.203.2.7]) by mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id E4B8117A63 for ; Mon, 21 Jan 2002 04:15:09 +0000 (GMT) X-Received: from chempc45.anu.edu.au (Chempc45.anu.edu.au [150.203.123.114]) by mail.anu.edu.au (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id PAA04089 for ; Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:15:07 +1100 (EST) X-Sender: u8605230@pophost.anu.edu.au X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.1 (32) X-To: biophys@net.bio.net To: biophys@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk Sender: owner-biophys@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Dear Breck, the electrical connectivity across a synapse, either neural or neuromuscular is not directly electrical. The connectivity is generated by the release of transmitter molecules from the end of the first neuron which are received and initiate opening of ion gates at the second neuron (or muscular sarcolemma). This reception of the transmitter substance leads to the generation and hence transmission of the action potential across the synapse and along the line of neurones (or into the muscle). There is no direct electrical connectivity , as I stated before, so there is no 'electrical' switching as such. All trans-synaptic action potential transmission is done chemically in higher biological systems (animals with neural pathways). This allows a high degree of chemical transmission processing with activating and inhibiting neurotransmitter chemicals. I hope this helps Paul Smith Dept of Chemistry ANU ------------------------------- c/- Department of Chemistry Australian National University ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA Ph: 61 2 6249 3074 Fax: 61 2 6249 0760 email: Paul.Smith@ANU.edu.au ------------------------------- --- .