myelin

[ mahy-uh-lin ]

noun

, Biology.

1. a soft, white, fatty material in the membrane of Schwann cells and certain neuroglial cells: the substance of the myelin sheath.

myelin

/ ˈmaɪɪˌliːn; ˈmaɪɪlɪn /

noun

1. a white tissue forming an insulating sheath ( myelin sheath ) around certain nerve fibres. Damage to the myelin sheath causes neurological disease, as in multiple sclerosis

myelin

/ mī′ə-lĭn /

1. A whitish, fatty substance that forms a sheath around many vertebrate nerve fibers. Myelin insulates the nerves and permits the rapid transmission of nerve impulses. The white matter of the brain is composed of nerve fibers covered in myelin.

Derived Forms

• ˌmyeˈlinic, adjective

Other Words From

• mye·linic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of myelin¹

First recorded in 1865–70; myel- + -in ²

Example Sentences

In adaptive myelination, more active brain circuits gain more myelin -- the fatty insulation that allows electrical signals to travel faster and more efficiently through nerve fibers.

From Science Daily

The nerves in these areas are surrounded by a protein called myelin, which helps signals from the brain get to the rest of the body.

From BBC

However, EBV infection has been linked to several diseases, including MS: an incurable, chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body's immune system to attack the myelin sheath of neurons in the brain and nervous system.

From Science Daily

"Currently, there are no effective therapies to reverse myelin damage in devastating demyelinating diseases such as MS," says corresponding author Q. Richard Lu, PhD, a top brain research expert at Cincinnati Children's.

From Science Daily

For example, in vertebrates, the researchers found genes critical for the formation of myelin sheaths around nerve cells, which are essential for fast nerve signal transmission.

From Science Daily