Node of Ranvier disruption as a cause of neurological diseases |
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Authors: | Keiichiro Susuki |
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Affiliation: | Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | Dysfunction and/or disruption of nodes of Ranvier are now recognized as key contributors to the pathophysiology of various neurological diseases. One reason is that the excitable nodal axolemma contains a high density of Nav (voltage-gated Na+ channels) that are required for the rapid and efficient saltatory conduction of action potentials. Nodal physiology is disturbed by altered function, localization, and expression of voltage-gated ion channels clustered at nodes and juxtaparanodes, and by disrupted axon–glial interactions at paranodes. This paper reviews recent discoveries in molecular/cellular neuroscience, genetics, immunology, and neurology that highlight the critical roles of nodes of Ranvier in health and disease. |
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Keywords: | axon– glial interactions, ion channel, neurological disease, node of Ranvier |
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