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A Theoretical And Experimental Study Of The Mechanism Of Axoplasmic Convection In Nerve Fibers Driven By Peristaltic Surface Waves, Robert John Biondi

Dissertations

In the study of cell biology, investigators have found that substances which are produced within the cell nucleus are sometimes found throughout the cell at points distant from the site of production. In the case of nerve cells (neurons), this is particularly dramatic because of the unusual elongated geometry of these cells.

A neuron possesses a cylindrical tubular extension called an "axon" or "axis cylinder" which is characterized by a large length-to-diameter ratio (10³-10⁶). The existence of a continuous proximo-distal flow of axoplasm within these cylindrical axons has now been demonstrated by numerous investigators. In …