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Scientists have figured out the molecular mechanism of axon myelination
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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Scientists have figured out the molecular signaling mechanism that triggers the build-up of "electrical insulation" in neurons. This, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the capabilities of the central nervous system (CNS), in particular the brain.
The experiment with mouse neurons was conducted by researchers from the American National Institutes of Health (NIH). The main goal was to find out how the work of neurons is reflected in the growth of their insulating sheath and what gives a signal for such growth? Or rather, of course, the sheaths are not the bodies of neurons, but axons - these long processes of nerve cells that carry "messages" to other cells.
It is known that neighboring cells - oligodendrocytes - are responsible for the formation of the myelin sheath of axons in the central nervous system. The myelin they produce is wound around the axon and acts as "electrical insulation for the cable." The presence of such a sheath (myelination) increases the speed of nerve impulse transmission by an order of magnitude.
This process in the human CNS and brain is most intensive from birth until about 20 years of age, when a person consistently learns to hold his head, walk, talk, reason logically, and so on. On the contrary, with a number of diseases (such as multiple sclerosis), the myelin sheaths of axons are destroyed, which worsens the functioning of the brain and CNS.
Understanding the mechanism of myelination initiation would help in developing drugs for such diseases and in prolonging active youth.
In a series of experiments with neurons in a Petri dish, biologists from the USA established the following. The primary signal for myelination is the electrical activity of the neuron itself. The higher it is, the more myelin it will receive.
During electrical stimulation, the cultured nerve cells released a neurotransmitter, glutamate. It was a call for oligodendrocytes placed in the same environment. The latter formed contact points with the axon, began exchanging chemical signals with it, and eventually began to close it with a myelin sheath.
In this case, insulation around a particular axon of a nerve cell practically did not form if the axon was not electrically active. Similarly, the process completely stalled if scientists artificially blocked the release of glutamate in the neuron, Medical Xpress reports.
It turns out that the most active axons in the brain receive powerful myelin insulation, which allows them to work even more effectively. And the signaling agent glutamate plays an important role in this process. (The results of the work are published in Science Express.)
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