X-Message-Number: 33151
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From: Gerald Monroe <>
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 06:12:54 -0600
Subject: Re: CryoNet #33145 - #33149

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One quick addendum, Mike : the Arrhenius equation is half the story for the
case of near 0 degree C transport.  What about the rate of diffusion?  In
living cells, diffusion is VERY slow even at body temperature...it is not
possible for protein sized molecules to get from the nucleus of a typical
neuron down the axon to the synapse without help from powered microtubule
transport.  (diffusion is speeds are inversely proportional to the size and
mass of the molecule that is diffusing, hence why ions and water can get
around)

Once the oxygen is gone, and the ATP is all used up, the active transport
mechanisms don't work.  So the nasty lysozomal enzymes that might tear up
the synapses where the memories are stored cannot go anywhere, on top of
being limited in their rate of reaction.  Free radicals can do some damage,
but the pieces of damaged synapses are ALSO going to be inherently limited
by the slow speed of diffusion.  As long as the pieces are close enough to
each other that they can be reassembled like a jigsaw puzzle, we can
probably infer the original state of a synapse.

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