Perspective: Do macromolecules play a role in the mechanisms of nerve stimulation and nervous transmission?

Abstract

ABSTRACTFibrillar macromolecular networks are ubiquitous in biological systems, from cellular cytoskeletons to tissues such as muscle and tendon. The presence of such networks in neuronal tissue is known, for example, in the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix in and around neuronal and glial cells, but their function is believed to be principally mechanical/structural in nature. However, there has long been speculation regarding a broader role for neuronal fibrillar macromolecules, which are anionic polyelectrolytes, specifically regarding their participation in nervous stimulation and transmission. This Perspective reviews literature that spans more than a century, including very recent work, and attempts to build a case for considering a multifunctional role for such macromolecules that includes participation in not only nervous activity but also in diverse phenomena including electric communication within and between cells and mechanisms of anesthetic action. Perhaps the creation and utilization of “artificial axons” is within reach with design rules coming at least in part from fundamental considerations of macromolecular science. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 7–14