Share
Blog
Print
Email
BookmarkMyelin is an electrically insulating phospholipid layer that surrounds the axons of many neurons.
It is an outgrowth of glial cells: Schwann cells supply the myelin for peripheral neurons while oligodendrocytes supply it to those of the central nervous system.
The main consequence of a myelin layer (or sheath) is an increase in the speed at which impulses propagate along the myelinated fiber..
For more information about the topic Myelin, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Axon — An axon, or nerve fiber, is a long slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body ... > read more
Neuron — Neurons (also known as neurones, nerve cells and nerve fibers) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that function to process and ... > read more
Action potential — An action potential is a wave of electrical discharge that travels along the membrane of a cell. Action potentials are an essential feature of animal ... > read more
Sympathetic nervous system — The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which also includes the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The ... > read moreNote: This page refers to an article that is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the article Myelin at Wikipedia.org. See the Wikipedia copyright page for more details.
