Lecture 7: Myelin Flashcards
Why does white matter in the brain appear white?
because it is composed of myelinated axons which are lipid rich
What are the myelinating cells of the peripheral nervous system?
Schwann cells
myelinate in a 1:1 ratio
What are the myelinating cells of the central nervous system?
oligodendrocytes
myelinate in a 50:1 ratio
What are the two different types of Schwann cell?
myelinating and non-myelinating
What is the role of non-myelinating Schwann cells?
bundle together unmyelinated axons
Schwann cells myelinate multiple axons within the central nervous system and all nerve fibres are myelinated by Schwann cells.
TRUE/FALSE
false
What is the oligodendroglial cell lineage?
oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPC) -> immature oligodendrocyte -> myelinating oligodendrocyte
Is myelin single-layered or multi-layered?
myelin is a multi-layered, compacted membranous sheath
How is myelin organised?
into internodes
What are the regions of unmyelinated axon called? What are these regions characterised by?
nodes of Ranvier
here there is clustering of voltage gated sodium channels
there are very few voltage gated sodium channels on the myelinated part of the axon
What does myelination induce in the axon?
induces architectural rearrangement
What are the three distinct molecular domains myelin divides the axon into?
the node of Ranvier, the paranode and the juxtaparanode
What are characteristics of the node of Ranvier?
short, unmyelinated segments of axon which contains clusters of voltage-gated sodium channels
What is the role of ankyrin proteins in the node of Ranvier?
anchors contents of the node to the underlying actin-spectrin cytoskeleton
What are characteristics of the paranodes?
flank the nodes and acts as a junction between noncompacted paranodal myelin loops and the underlying axolemma