High-resolution proton magnetic resonance spectra of a rabbit sciatic nerve.

Proton magnetic resonance spectra (220-megahertz field) of an isolated rabbit sciatic nerve in its native state have been observed and assigned to the extracellular water, intracellular water, and phospholipids of the nerve. This study indicates that the nerve fibers contain fluid-like hydrophobic regions, in agreement with the results of recent electron spin resonance spin-labeled studies of excitable membranes of nerve and muscle.