Discovery by MU scientists could inform future studies related to spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Nerve cells, or neurons — specifically the “workhorse cells” involved in walking, breathing and chewing — can adjust to changes in the body, but they never stop working unless there is an fatal injury. What exactly signals neurons to keep acting and operating normally has not been known until now. In a new study, scientists at the University of Missouri have discovered that a neuron’s own electrical signal, or voltage, can indicate whether the neuron is functioning normally. If that voltage is absent, scientists say everything is “out of whack.”

“Our bodies have no central control system to tell individual neurons they are functioning normally, and so the neurons rely on their own electrical signals to keep track,” said David Schulz, a professor of biological sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science. “Without that electrical signal, the cell can’t tell if it is on the right track, and this can lead to changes that ultimately cause problems such as spasms and seizures. For people that have various neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and spinal cord injuries, this discovery could affect how they are treated to help reduce or eliminate such symptoms.”