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THE NODE OF RANVIER
The node of Ranvier is a small specialized site found at intervals along the thin nerve processes of all vertebrate animals. It is where nerve impulses are re-amplified, enabling transmission of information to distant targets such as nerve terminals on other neurons or muscle. Nodes are very complicated structures, and electron tomographic analysis reveals important details about their substructural components. The volume shown in this reconstruction is 1.5 micrometers wide. This research is being carried out by Gina Sosinski, Rocco Grecco, and Mark Ellisman at the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR) at UC San Diego.