Medicine: Nobel Prize

Why is this important to you and I? Maybe not too much to you, but to me it's rather important, because I'm one of those bipolar types who have long wondered what exactly triggered those mood swings from 'lows' of lethargic depression to those 'Hey, Mom! I can fly!' kinds of fantastic 'highs' where you want to do everything, and right now. And these three scientists may be unlocking the answers.

It seems to be all about ionized calcium, and I hear you asking "What's that?"
so may I take a whack at explaining? These calcium ions make up about 47% of the calcium in our systems, and as these three scientists have discovered, the calcium ions form a vital part of the process of vesicle docking inside cells and through cell walls. Just generally speaking for a moment, within the body fluids, calcium exists in three forms. Protein-bound calcium accounts for about 47% of calcium in plasma, most bound to albumin. Another 47% of plasma calcium is ionized, and the remaining 6% is complexed with phosphate, citrate, and other anions. The ionized calcium is physiologically active, and one of its most important functions is the control of the permeability of cell membranes.

If serum calcium rises above normal levels, it can cause decreased neuromuscular activity such as lethargy, muscle weakness, depressed reflexes, slow heartbeat, and mental confusion. A relatively small decrease from normal level can produce tetanic seizures, such as epileptic seizures or similar disturbances and states of altered consciousness. These, in turn, involve abnormal electrical activity in the brain. And that's where we get back to those cute little calcium ions, because they play a very active part in how neurotransmitters do their thing. And all of this suggests to me at least that there's probably a connection here between the levels of ionized and diffusible calcium in the plasma, and the relative state of one's mood swings as determined by the blood plasma electrolytes, and how quickly or slowly impulses are transmitted through the system, thus determining differences between 'lows' and 'highs'.  And wouldn't it be nice if we could tie all this together and solve the puzzle? I think they're getting very close.