If i read on wikipedia about ion-canals and gaba receptors and how they open and close and work in the brain and what happens, if they malfunction … how do they find that out?
Those are just 2 of many different names / terms … but afaik it is not possible to watch the brain working that deep … so what do they do, to determine that?
In: 13
Things like ion channels, GABA receptors, etc. are all proteins. Figuring out how proteins work typically involve determining their 3D structure and figuring out what parts interact with other chemicals. This type of work is done via biochemical lab techniques, and not doing brain imagery.
When it comes to figuring out how they go wrong at the cellular level, it is helpful to know a little bit of basic biochemistry. Proteins are chains of chemicals called amino acids. The specific sequence of amino acids in any given protein is determined by your DNA. Thus, any changes in DNA can subsequently change the sequence of the amino acids, altering the way that the protein works. So, to determine what damage these DNA changes cause, you can look at cell cultures with and without these changes and see what is going wrong.
Latest Answers