Further to this picture, in recent years the processing potential of extensive microtubule networks which feature in all cells, and can have special characteris

Further to this picture, in recent years the processing potential of extensive microtubule networks which feature in all cells, and can have special characteristics in nerve cells is beginning to be recognised: > Microtubules are major architectural elements without which the neuron could not achieve or maintain its exaggerated shape. In addition to serving as structural elements, microtubules are railways along which molecular motor proteins convey cargo. Microtubule arrays in axons, dendrites, growth cones, and migratory neurons are tightly organized with respect to the intrinsic polarity of the microtubule, which is relevant to both its assembly and transport properties. Vibrant research is being conducted on the mechanisms by which microtubules are organized in different compartments of the neuron, how microtubule dynamics and stability are regulated, and the orchestration of microtubule-based transport of organelles and proteins. While all of this is surely enough to cause one to marvel, we cannot avoid pondering - what other work might microtubules do for neurons? Microtubules as neuron information carriers: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3979999/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3979999/