They’ll have to change biology textbooks. The opening pages on the nervous system inevitably include the iconic illustration of a synapse — the gap where one neuron passes a signal on to another.
The images often show how the chemical elements calcium, sodium and potassium migrate through channels in the signaling neuron’s membrane to trigger this crucial neuron-to-neuron communication.
Now add copper to this select list of elements essential for neuron signaling. By devising fluorescent probes to track the presence and movement of copper atoms in and out of nerve cells, chemist Chris Chang has shown that changes in concentration of this element at the synapse can switch on or off signaling between neurons.
Read more from Berkeley Research: https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/profile/chris_chang