Node of Ranvier as an Array of Bio-Nanoantennas for Infrared Communication in Nerve Tissue

摘要

Electromagnetic radiation, in the visible and infrared spectrum, is increasingly being investigated for its possible role in the most evolved brain capabilities. Beside experimental evidence of electromagnetic cellular interactions, the possibility of light propagation in the axon has been recently demonstrated using computational modelling, although an explanation of its source is still not completely understood. We studied electromagnetic radiation onset and propagation at optical frequencies in myelinated axons, under the assumption that ion channel currents in the node of Ranvier behave like an array of nanoantennas emitting in the wavelength range from 300 to 2500 nm. Our results suggest that the wavelengths below 1600 nm are most likely to propagate throughout myelinated segments. Therefore, a broad wavelength window exists where both generation and propagation could happen, which in turn raises the possibility that such a radiation may play some role in neurotransmission.