nervmembranet

Nervmembranet, a term used in some Scandinavian scientific literature, denotes the neural membrane: the lipid bilayer that encloses nerve cells and their processes and participates in their signaling. In current usage it refers to the integrated ensemble of neuronal and glial membranes that together form the functional boundary between the cytoplasm and the extracellular environment.

Structure: The neural membrane comprises the neuronal plasma membrane (axon, soma, and dendritic membranes) and the adjoining membranes of glial cells that tightly interact with neurons. It is a phospholipid bilayer enriched with cholesterol and sphingolipids and embedded proteins, including ion channels, transporters, receptors, and adhesion molecules. The membrane supports cytoskeletal attachments and interacts with myelin to influence conduction properties.

Functions: The nervmembranet maintains ion gradients and resting potential via pumps such as Na+/K+ ATPase, enabling action potential generation and propagation. It hosts receptors and signaling complexes that mediate synaptic transmission, neuromodulation, and plasticity. It also participates in membrane trafficking, endocytosis and exocytosis, and in interactions with the extracellular matrix and glial partners that support homeostasis and repair.

Variations and specialized regions include nodes of Ranvier and the axon initial segment, where specific membrane domains concentrate voltage-gated channels, and synaptic membranes at chemical synapses and neuromuscular junctions with distinctive protein compositions that govern neurotransmitter release and reception.

Clinical relevance is limited to descriptive anatomy and physiology; disruptions of neural membranes or their associated proteins can contribute to neuropathies, demyelinating diseases, and channelopathies. The term nervmembranet is more common in Scandinavian literature; in English, neural membrane or neuronal membrane is preferred.