Neural Gallery

Synapse nerve junction, TEM

Synapse. Coloured transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of a synapse, a junction between two nerve cells, in the brain. At a synapse an electrical signal is transmitted from one cell to the next in only one direction. The nerve cells are green, with the pre-synaptic cell at lower right and the post-synaptic cell at upper left. Mitochondria, supplying the cells with energy, are purple. When an electrical signal reaches a synapse it triggers the release of neurotransmitter chemicals from vesicles (red) at the end of the presynaptic cell. The neurotransmitters cross a microscopic gap and bind to receptors on the post- synaptic cell. Magnification: 50, 000x when printed 10 centimetres across

© THOMAS DEERINCK, NCMIR/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Prion disease treatment, artwork C018/1838

Prion disease treatment. Artwork of three pyramidal neurons (nerve cells). The cell at left is healthy. The cell at back has died because of a prion (pink) infection. The cell at right is infected with prions and has been treated with a PERK inhibitor drug (yellow). Prions are abnormal proteins that cause a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases including BSE in cows and CJD in humans. Abnormal infectious prions directly change normal prions found in the brain to the abnormal form and prevent the synthesis of essential proteins. This leads to neuronal death. PERK inhibitors allow normal protein synthesis to continue, preventing neurodegeneration. Such drugs also have the potential to treat Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

© RUSSELL KIGHTLEY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Arm nerve regions, artwork

Arm nerve regions. Artwork of the muscles of the human body from the rear, with the right arm (right) labelled with the names of the spinal nerves (cervical, neck, C; and thoracic, chest, T) that supply them: C4, C5, T2. Dermatomes (colour-coded) are areas of skin supplied by spinal nerves. Numbered labels mark regions of the shoulder, arm and hand. For the front of the arm, see C016/6840

© PIXOLOGICSTUDIO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY