What is the function of the myelin sheath quizlet?

The primary function of the myelin sheath is to: insulate the axon and increase the speed at which neurons convey their message.

What is the role of the myelin sheath in nerve regrowth?

Myelin is an essential fatty substance coating surrounding nerve axons. After injury, regenerated nerve axons usually fail to remyelinate, inhibiting nerve cell communication. A combination treatment led to remyelination in about 60 percent of regenerated axons.

How is a myelin sheath formed in the CNS and what is its function quizlet?

How is a myelin sheath formed in the CNS, and what is its function? In the CNS, a myelin sheath is formed by oligodendrocytes that wrap their plasma membranes around the axon. The myelin sheath protects and electrically insulates axons and increases the speed of transmission of nerve impulses.

What is the main component of the myelin sheath?

Myelin is composed of about 40\% water and the dry mass is composed of about 80\% lipids and 20\% protein. The mainly lipid composition of the myelin gives it a white hue, hence the reference to the brain’s “white matter.” The main lipid found in myelin is a glycolipid called galactocerebroside.

How do myelin sheaths increase conduction speed?

Myelin can greatly increase the speed of electrical impulses in neurons because it insulates the axon and assembles voltage-gated sodium channel clusters at discrete nodes along its length.

What does the myelin sheath of an axon accomplish quizlet?

What does the myelin sheath of an axon accomplish? It enables an axon to communicate with other axons.

How does myelin sheath form?

Myelin is formed by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). Each Schwann cell forms a single myelin sheath around an axon. Myelin itself forms by the spiral wrapping around an axon of an enormously expanded glial plasma membrane that then compacts.

What happens when the myelin sheath deteriorates?

When the myelin sheath is damaged, nerves do not conduct electrical impulses normally. Sometimes the nerve fibers are also damaged. If the sheath is able to repair and regenerate itself, normal nerve function may return. However, if the sheath is severely damaged, the underlying nerve fiber can die.

Why is myelin important neural regeneration quizlet?

Why is myelin important? Speeds up signal conduction of nerve fiber, assists with regeneration of damaged fibers, insulates nerve fiber.

What does the myelin sheath consist of?

Myelin sheath consists of lipids and proteins which make up a fatty substance and is white in appearance. This forms the protective sleeve that wraps around the axon of neurons. The sheath is made up of many concentric layers of plasma membrane, wrapped tightly around the axon. There are breaks of between 0.2 and 2 mm.

What diseases are caused by myelin sheath?

Multiple sclerosis (MS)is an autoimmune disease which is caused by inflammation and damage to the protective sheath that covers the nerves (myelin sheath). It is therefore also known as demyelinating disease. This damage and destruction slows down the impulses traveling along the nerves.

What happens if myelin sheath is damaged?

A demyelinating disease is any condition that results in damage to the protective covering (myelin sheath) that surrounds nerve fibers in your brain, optic nerves and spinal cord. When the myelin sheath is damaged, nerve impulses slow or even stop, causing neurological problems.

What are the symptoms of myelin sheath?

This damage causes nerve signals to slow down or stop, resulting in neurological impairment. Depending on where in the central nervous system myelin is attacked, symptoms like sensory disturbances, vision problems, muscle spasms, and bladder problems begin to manifest.

What causes a loss of myelin?

Diseases that cause nerve inflammation can also damage the myelin sheath. Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks its own nerves, is the most common form of demyelinating disease. Certain types of encephalitis, or brain inflammation, can also damage myelin.