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Glite Dictionary
to demyelinate

to demyelinate

1 9.9
To remove the protective covering around nerve cells that helps their signals travel
  • verb
  • /ˌdiːˌmaɪəˈlɪneɪt/
  • Specialized
: desmielinizar
  • In demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis, the body loses the protective myelin sheath around the nerves.

So they did this with the ALSALS is a acute myelinating demyelinating process that we have no cure for.

Examples

  • I suppose I also wished to learn Italian as a way to restore her to a younger, more vital self, the one before her neurons began demyelinating, and her body ceased obeying her brain's commands; and, when I think of it now, the one I, as a child, had doggedly worked to love.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The toxic exposure caused the neurons to demyelinate, leading to severe neurological symptoms.

  • Research shows that certain factors can demyelinate nerve fibers, impairing their function.

How Damaging

to demyelinate
  • Specialized
1 9.9
to injure
10 1.6

Surface Forms

demyelinate infinitive
demyelinated past
demyelinated past participle
demyelinating present participle
demyelinates third person singular

Morphology

demyelinate = myelinate (transparent) = de + myelin + ate

The medical verb is a straightforward reversative formation meaning to remove myelin from something already myelinated.

Etymology

Demyelinate starts with de- meaning 'remove' and myelin is the fatty 'insulation' that covers nerve fibers. So to demyelinate is to take away that protective coat, which is why the nerve cannot send signals well.