Amplification of terahertz/infrared field at the nodes of Ranvier for myelinated nerve

Abstract

The myelination of axons was the last major evolution in the vertebrate nervous system. Myelin promotes the speed of action potential by two orders, and modulates the conduction of neurons, important for learning new skills. However, the intrinsic mechanism for high-speed information propagation in myelin in the nervous systems is still unclear. We propose that myelinated nerve fibres serve as dielectric waveguides for the high-frequency electromagnetic information in a certain mid-infrared to terahertz spectral range. Based on the structure characteristics of myelinated nerve composed of periodic nodes of Ranvier and myelin sheath, the energy for the signal propagation is supplied and amplified when crossing the nodes of Ranvier via a periodic relay. In this work, we exploit the quasi-quantum model of amplification for neural terahertz/infrared information at the nodes of Ranvier, and prove the existence of biomolecular ensemble for three-energy-level amplification, revealing the essential mechanism of high-speed electromagnetic information transmitting in myelinated nerves.