Bright 'n' brainy

A simulated neuron that reacts to damage and disease like a living cell has
been developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. The simulator is based on equations that describe how electrical signals
are generated and travel along neurons. Ann Stuart, who developed the system,
says researchers could use it to see how various diseases affect neuron
function. Multiple sclerosis, for example, slows down signals moving along
diseased neurons. “But if you lower the temperature of the neuron [in the
simulation] you can see how it restores function,” says Stuart.