neurotransmitter which are eventually released into the synaptic cleft. Damage detection and regeneration Axoplasm contains both the mRNA and ribonuclearprotein required for axonal protein synthesis. Axonal protein synthesis has been shown to be integral in both neural regeneration and in localized responses to axon damage. When an axon is damaged, both axonal translation and retrograde axonal transport are required to propagate a signal to the soma that the cell is damaged. History Axoplasm was not a main focus for neurological research until many years of learning of the functions and properties of squid giant axons. Axons in general were very difficult to study due to their narrow structure and in close proximity to glial cells. To solve this problem squid axons were used as an animal model due to the relatively vast sized axons compared to humans or other mammals. These axons were mainly studied to understand action potential, and axoplasm was soon understood to be important in membrane potential. The axoplasm was at first just thought to be very similar to cytoplasm, but axoplasm plays an important role in transference of nutrients and electrical potential that is generated by neurons. It actually proves quite difficult to isolate axons from the myelin that surrounds it, so the squid giant axon is the focus for many studies that touch on axoplasm. As more knowledge formed from studying the signalling that occurs in neurons, transfer of nutrients and materials became an important topic to research. The mechanisms for the proliferation and sustained electrical potentials were affected by the fast axonal transport system. The fast axonal transport system uses the axoplasm for movement, and contains many non-conductive molecules that change the rate of these electrical potentials across the axon, but the opposite influence does not occur. The fast axonal transport system is able to function without an axolemma, implying that the electrical potential does not influence the transport of materials through the axon. This understanding of the relationship of axoplasm regarding transport and electrical potential is critical in the understanding of the overall brain functions. With this knowledge, axoplasm has become a model for studying varying cell signaling and functions for the research of neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, and Huntington's. Fast axonal transport is a crucial mechanism when examining these diseases and determining how a lack of materials and nutrients can influence the progression of neurological disorders. References Neurohistology