Neuroscience on TV
Anyone else catch CSI: NY last night?
If so, remember the case involving the woman who died of drowning?
Well it turns out what really killed her was Tetrodotoxin (TTX) a compound frequently used by neuroscience researchers.
What does TTX do? In short it blocks sodium-ion channels thus preventing the flow of sodium ions into neurons. This in turn inhibits action potentials, causing an absence of signaling and well, you can deduce the rest.
Here’s a site about TTX if you’re interested in learning more.