Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology· 2014Q1· Review
Myelination of the Nervous System: Mechanisms and Functions
- 1,009citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Recent advances reveal the intricate mechanisms of myelin biogenesis, lifelong plasticity, and the crucial symbiotic relationship between myelinating glial cells and axons.
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Key points
- Myelination enables fast, saltatory impulse propagation in the nervous system.
- Recent research clarifies the mechanistic complexity of myelin biogenesis and glial-axon interactions.
- Myelinating glia provide essential metabolites and neurotrophic factors for long-term axonal integrity.
- Dysfunctions in myelination are implicated in normal brain aging and human myelin diseases.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Myelination of axons in the nervous system of vertebrates enables fast, saltatory impulse propagation, one of the best-understood concepts in neurophysiology. However, it took a long while to recognize the mechanistic complexity both of myelination by oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells and of their cellular interactions. In this review, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of myelin biogenesis, its lifelong plasticity, and the reciprocal interactions of myelinating glia with the axons they ensheath. In the central nervous system, myelination is also stimulated by axonal activity and astrocytes, whereas myelin clearance involves microglia/macrophages. Once myelinated, the long-term integrity of axons depends on glial supply of metabolites and neurotrophic factors. The relevance of this axoglial symbiosis is illustrated in normal brain aging and human myelin diseases, which can be studied in corresponding mouse models. Thus, myelinating cells serve a key role in preserving the connectivity and functions of a healthy nervous system.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Developmental Neuroscience
Developmental NeuroscienceNeuroscience