The Mysteries of Myelin Unwrapped

摘要

Myelination, the process by which glial cells ensheath the axons of neurons in layers of myelin, ensures the rapid conduction of electrical impulses in the nervous system. The formation of myelin sheaths is one of the most spectacular examples of cell-cell interaction and coordination in nature. Myelin sheaths are formed by the vast membranous extensions of glial cells: Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). The axon is wrapped many times (like a Swiss roll) by these sheetlike membrane extensions to form the final myelin sheath or internode (see the figure). Internodes can be as long as 1 mm and are separated from their neighbors by a short gap of 1 μm (the node of Ranvier). The concentration of voltage-dependent sodium channels in the axon membrane at the node, and the high electrical resistance of the multilayered myelin sheath, ensure that action potentials jump from node to node (a process termed "saltatory conduction").