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The myelin sheath of long nerves was discovered and named by German pathological anatomist Rudolf Virchow [21] in 1854. [22] French pathologist and anatomist Louis-Antoine Ranvier later discovered the nodes, or gaps, in the myelin sheath that now bear his name.
However, unlike the plastic covering on an electrical wire, myelin does not form a single long sheath over the entire length of the axon. Rather, myelin ensheaths the axon segmentally: in general, each axon is encased in multiple long sheaths with short gaps between, called nodes of Ranvier.
In myelinated axons, Schwann cells form the myelin sheath. The sheath is not continuous. Individual myelinating Schwann cells cover about 1 mm of an axon [3] – equating to about 1000 Schwann cells along a 1-m length of the axon. The gaps between adjacent Schwann cells are called nodes of Ranvier.
Myelinogenesis is the formation and development of myelin sheaths in the nervous system, typically initiated in late prenatal neurodevelopment and continuing throughout postnatal development. [1] Myelinogenesis continues throughout the lifespan to support learning and memory via neural circuit plasticity as well as remyelination following ...
The myelin sheath that surrounds and protects nerve cells is made by cells called oligodendrocytes. In a person with MS, these cells are lost, so damaged myelin sheaths cannot be repaired.
Cross section of an axon: (1) Axon (2) Nucleus (3) Schwann cell (4) Myelin sheath (5) Neurilemma. In the nervous system, axons may be myelinated, or unmyelinated. This is the provision of an insulating layer, called a myelin sheath. The myelin membrane is unique in its relatively high lipid to protein ratio. [17]
This only affects the myelin sheath on myelinated axon while the axon and nerve continuity will remain preserved. [2] Loss of myelin is often readily seen in histological samples as the layer of myelin around myelinated nerves will appear very thin, representing either the late stages of demyelination or early stages of remyelination. [14]
The myelin sheath is not continuous but is segmented along the axon's length at gaps known as the nodes of Ranvier. In the peripheral nervous system the myelination of axons is carried out by Schwann cells. [1] Oligodendrocytes are found exclusively in the CNS, which comprises the brain and spinal cord.