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myelin

myelin

7 8.6
A white fatty layer around nerve fibers that helps signals travel quickly
  • noun
  • /ˈmaɪəlɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mielina
  • Others produce myelin, which surrounds and protects axons.
  • myelin sheath
  • myelin around axons
  • myelin debris

And when a baby's born, there's very little myelin in the cortex laid down.

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Examples

  • Myelin acts as an insulator, allowing electrical impulses to travel efficiently along nerve fibers.

  • Surrounding the Axon is a myelin sheath, which is actually just insulation.

  • And they are born without myelin, correct?

  • What ALD does is strip away the myelin.

  • By implanting nerve cells, we expect to see the growth of new myelin.

  • Myelin is the fatty... sheath that insulates the nerves.

  • And multiple sclerosis will eat away the myelin, thus exposing the nerve and eroding it over time.

  • So myelin is a fatty substance that coats some neural pathways, and those pathways become fast pathways.

  • Myelin is a protective covering around the axons of neurons and allows them to communicate quickly and efficiently.

    Academic text (2010)
  • As a person grows and matures, glial cells coat the axons inside the brain with myelin.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

myelin sheath
vsmyelin
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A fatty layer around nerve fibers that helps signals travel fast

is the fatty substance rather than the surrounding layered covering
medulla
vsmyelin
  • Specialized
8.6

A fatty layer around nerve fibers that helps signals travel quickly

forms a sheath around axons rather than only around central parts
medullary sheath
vsmyelin
  • Specialized
8.9

A thin fatty layer that covers nerve fibers and helps signals travel faster

is the fatty substance itself rather than the enclosing layer

Compounds

myelin sheath
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A fatty layer around nerve fibers that helps signals travel fast

Surface Forms

myelin singular
myelins plural

Morphology

myelin = myel + in

Formed from a technical combining form ('myel-') plus the chemical/noun-forming suffix '-in'; these are specialised morphological elements not recognizable to an average B1 learner, so the meaning cannot be derived from common English base words.

Etymology

Myelin comes from the Greek root myel- and myelos meaning 'marrow'. Bone marrow is a soft, fatty tissue, so that image helps you remember that myelin is a white, fatty covering around nerves that helps messages travel quickly.