nerve cell

The received wisdom said we were built from around 200 types of cell – such as heart muscle or nerve cells.

When the electrical signal reaches the end of one nerve cell it is converted into a biochemical signal, in the form of calcium.

The researchers used these so-called primary neurons to determine that hepatitis E viruses are capable of infecting the nerve cells directly.

Fampridine acts on specific ion channels in nerve cells that, according to the researchers' analyses, also play a role in mental disorders such as schizophrenia.

The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells.