Using metaphorical considerations to benefit research on the sodium channel fast inactivation mechanism.

Metaphorical language is ubiquitous throughout the life sciences, with, for example, molecules forming chains which define genetic blueprints for the development of cells and ultimately the gates in the channels forming the subject of this special issue. Indeed, metaphor is a fundamental component of scientific discourse and influences how science is both communicated and understood across all levels of expertise. This article, written for readers without a background in linguistics, first provides a brief introduction to the mechanisms of scientific metaphor and then illustrates its productive application to the sodium channel fast inactivation mechanism.