ABSTRACT
One of the most eminent neuroscientists recently passed away in Paris. Professor Francisco Varela was a scholar that approached science with a remarkably broad and integrative perspective, deeply contributing to a diversity of fields, from mathematics to epistemology, from immunology to neuroscience. He was strongly influenced by Buddhism and actively participated in unraveling the relationship between science and spirituality. This article introduces a special edition of Biological Research dedicated to the memory of this great man. It contains a collection of valuable contributions by various authors who collaborated with Varela at different moments of his outstanding scientific career. Their articles cover most of the fields in which he made contributions.
Subject(s)
History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Neurophysiology/history , Chile , Neurosciences/historyABSTRACT
Invertebrate visual transduction involves a second messenger cascade process that leads to an increase in membrane conductance. The identity of the second messenger that gates the light-dependent channels is presently a major focus of attention. Cyclic GMP, inositol trisphosphate and Ca2+ are the most likely candidates for being such a messenger in the species studied so far. Here we review the available evidence for each of these molecules
Subject(s)
Animals , Light Signal Transduction/physiology , Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate/physiology , Second Messenger Systems/physiology , Calcium Channels/physiology , Cyclic GMP/physiology , Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate/physiologyABSTRACT
Odorant detection takes place at the receptor neurons of the olfactory epithelium and odorant discrimination relies in an important degree on these chemosensory cells. Here we review the evidence for the participation of multiple transduction pathways in the mechanisms of odor recognition in olfactory neurons