Filaments and four ordered structures inside a neuron fire a thousand times faster than the membrane: theory and experiment

Abstract

The current action potential paradigm considers that all components beneath the neuron membrane are inconsequential. Filamentary communication is less known to the ionic signal transmission; recently, we have proposed that the two are intimately linked through time domains. We modified the atom probe-connected dielectric resonance scanner to operate in two-time domains, milliseconds and microseconds simultaneously for the first time. We resonate the ions for imaging rather than neutralizing them as patch clamps do; resonant transmission images the ion flow 103 times faster than the existing methods. We revisited action potential-related events by scanning in and around the axon initial segment (AIS). Four ordered structures in the cytoskeletal filaments exchange energy ~250 μs before a neuron fires, editing spike-time-gap—key to the brain’s cognition. We could stop firing above a threshold or initiate a fire by wirelessly pumping electromagnetic signals. We theoretically built AIS, whose simulated electromagnetic energy exchange matched the experiment. Thus far, the scanner could detect & link uncorrelated biological events unfolding over 106 orders in the time scale simultaneously. Our experimental findings support a new dielectric resonator model of neuron functioning in various time domains, thus suggesting the dynamic anatomy of electrical activity as information-rich.

Keywords

• neuron imaging
• coaxial electrode
• microstructure
• neuroelectrodynamics
• action potential