title: Node of Ranvier disruption as a cause of neurological diseases.
abstract: Dysfunction and/or disruption of nodes of Ranvier are now recognized as key contributors to the pathophysiology of various neurological diseases. One reason is that the excitable nodal axolemma contains a high density of Nav (voltage-gated Na+ channels) that are required for the rapid and efficient saltatory conduction of action potentials. Nodal physiology is disturbed by altered function, localization, and expression of voltage-gated ion channels clustered at nodes and juxtaparanodes, and by disrupted axon-glial interactions at paranodes. This paper reviews recent discoveries in molecular/cellular neuroscience, genetics, immunology, and neurology that highlight the critical roles of nodes of Ranvier in health and disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. susuki@bcm.edu
authors.forename: Keiichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Susuki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020274:Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System / Q000473:pathology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000473:pathology; D053447:Channelopathies / Q000473:pathology; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000473:pathology; D011901:Ranvier's Nodes / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins