Overview   Lab & Research     Rane Lab     My Research       -Neurons       -Ion Channels       -Patch Clamp       -Growth Factors       -PC12 Cells       -Summary   Pseudoscience   Evolution &   Creationism	My Research Let me begin by saying that before my days as a Webmaster, I never attended many parties, partially because I didn't enjoy them, but mostly because I wasn't invited to them. But on the occasion when I was invited, thanks mainly to Mom who convinced the relatives that I really should be included in the family reunion, I dreaded the inevitable conversation opener: "Hello, Mike, it's been a long time. What are you doing now?" I could have answered, "I watch a lot of TV and sleep, sometimes both at the same time," which was and still is true, but usually they were digging for some information that pertained to my career. Ignoring the fact that I was a graduate student and hence had no career, I answered, "I'm researching the intracellular signaling pathways underlying acute and long-term growth factor regulation of neuronal ion channels." If you know nothing about neurobiology, you can imagine their reaction because you probably just experienced it. You either thought or muttered, "What the Hell are you talking about? Don't you speak English?" But since it was rather rude to voice this to my face, my relatives and friends were kind enough to offer me a polite, blank stare of incomprehension. After a few moments of silence, I would simplify my answer: "I'm a biologist." To which they would respond, "Oh, I see," and incomprehension was replaced with sympathy because they were now aware that I really had no career. The more courageous then asked: "Well, can you explain your research to me?" So I did my best, but inevitably fouled up because there is so much information that needs to be known before the simplest concept makes any sense. This left the other person and me both exhausted and confused, though inevitably I was the real loser because I didn't get invited to the next party. So what, exactly, did "I'm researching the intracellular signaling pathways underlying acute and long-term growth factor regulation of neuronal ion channels" mean? Well, if you truly want to know, read on. I've done my best to break up the sentence into its different components and approach each in a manner that I hope is more comprehensible for someone who isn't involved in my old field. Ready? Since one the key words in my sentence, "neuronal", refers to the cells that I study, let's first answer the question: "What is a neuron?"
Mind 'Scapes, its pages and contents are © 1998 by Michael D. Hilborn, President of the Biggles 2000 Time-Dimensional Corporation. You are free to copy and use the original artwork on these pages, although I would appreciate it if you ask me first.