Neurons Run on Calcium

Wellcome Collection. CC BY 4.0.

In neurons, calcium is the ultimate multitasker. It helps propagate electrical signals down axons. It triggers synaptic terminals to dump their cargo of neurotransmitters into synapses. And, if that’s not enough, it’s also involved in memory formation, metabolism, and cell growth.

Watching the ebb and flow of calcium ions gives scientists an idea of what’s happening in neurons. To do that, they use special fluorescent molecules that glow when they link up with calcium. This image shows a neuron cell body aglow with calcium.

About the Author

Charlie Wood

Charlie Wood is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in physics from Brown University and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. In previous lives he taught physics in Mozambique and English in Japan, but these days he freelances from his home in New York.