X-Message-Number: 3627
From:  (Thomas Donaldson)
Subject: CRYONICS about.previous.message
Date: Fri, 6 Jan 1995 21:10:03 -0800 (PST)


Hi!

The preceding abstract was sent because I was asked on Cryonet for a 
reference about CO (carbon monoxide) as a nerve transmitter. Yes, it is.

One comment: after also reading a bit about the theories neuroscientists have
about use of chemicals and gases in this way, I think it would be useful to
summmarize them. The basic idea is that nerve cells don't just transmit
messages through synapses; they can also affect one another's metabolism 
through this chemical transmission, either raising a level of excitement, or 
the general response to some other specific synaptic transmitters, or 

alternatively decreasing it. This may account for the two kinds of transmission.

It is, however, right now just a theory. But experiments might prove it out.
The reason for using diffusion for this kind of message passing is simply 
that this kind of excitation or depression (or focussing) is not designed to
happen quickly. It is designed to ramp up more slowly than synaptic messaging
and then die down at a similar rate. (If you will accept the word "design"
here!). It is also "designed" to act on more than one cell or synapse. Along
the way, of course, it adds another dimension to how our nerve cells work.

				Long long life,


					Thomas Donaldson

PS: It was uploaded in PC format. 

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