September 11, 2024 by Wiley Myelin sheath. Credit: Wikipedia.The neurons of the brain are protected by an insulating layer called myelin. In certain diseases like multiple sclerosis, this protective layer is damaged and lost, leading to death of neurons and disability. New research published in The FEBS Journal reveals the importance of a protein called...
August 12, 2024 by CUNY Advanced Science Research Center The stem-like cells called oligodendrocyte progenitors (red) in the adult brain are characterized by abundant histone H4 acetylation tags (green text) that regulate their proliferation and affect the size of the progenitor pool available for myelin repair. When acetylation is blocked (red text), fewer cells are...
by Texas Children’s Hospital The molecular regulation of Wnt signaling in the OL lineage by Daam2 phosphorylation. The activity of Daam2-mediated Wnt signaling is low in OPCs and early OLs (Left) but upregulated in mature OLs (Middle). When ligands trigger Wnt signaling, the destruction complex is inhibited, allowing β-catenin to enter the nucleus where it...
UNIVERSITÄT LEIPZIG IMAGE: THE IMAGE SERIES SHOWS CROSS-SECTIONAL ELECTRON MICROGRAPHS OF INDIVIDUAL NERVE FIBERS IN MS BRAIN BIOPSIES. AXONS SHEATHED WITH MYELIN (BLACK RINGS) CAN BE SEEN, SHOWING INCREASINGLY SEVERE DAMAGE FROM 1 TO 8. THE SPECTRUM RANGES FROM ACCUMULATION OF INDIVIDUAL CELLULAR COMPONENTS IN OTHERWISE STILL BRIGHT, INTACT AXONS (1) TO ADVANCED DEGENERATION IN...
NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE – KNAW Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have discovered that the energy management of inhibitory brain cells is different compared to excitatory cells in our brain. Why is that the case and what is the link with multiple sclerosis? Brain cells are connected to each other by axons, the parts of...
by CU Anschutz Medical Campus Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered a new way the brain processes and communicates information that could lead to improved learning in those suffering neurological disorders or recovering from brain injuries. The study was published in Nature Neuroscience. Researchers focused on changes...
by Erin Matthews, Canadian Light Source Myelin sheath. Credit: Wikipedia. The “wear and tear” of aging is often noticed first in our bodies, but our brains also experience changes that make it harder to remember where you left your keys or the name of that acquaintance you ran into at the grocery store. Dr. Kendra...
by John Hewitt, Medical Xpress Credit: wikipedia Students of physiology are invariably taught that the primary function of myelin is to insulate nerves. In particular, to make action potentials more efficient by increasing the thickness of the membrane and thereby decreasing its electric capacitance. But this crude idea—this analogy, really—can’t be correct. Despite the protestations...
by Max Planck Society Impaired repair of chronic lesions in neuronal cholesterol mutants (NcKO). The mutants form less myelin (brown), and the proliferation of oligodendrocytes (green) is reduced. Credit: MPI for Experimental Medicine/ Berghoff The degradation and regeneration of myelin sheaths characterize neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Cholesterol is an indispensable component of myelin...
by Erik Robinson, Oregon Health & Science University Credit: CC0 Public Domain A compound developed at Oregon Health & Science University appears to protect nerve fibers and the fatty sheath, called myelin, that covers nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The discovery, published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology, could be important in treating or preventing...
