Myelination and Connectivity

Myelin is a multilayered insulating plasma membrane, or sheath, made up of proteins’ fatty substances known as lipoproteins. The myelin sheath forms around nerve axons, which are the long, thin fibers extending from the main body of nerve cells. Axons vary in length from 1 millimeter to over 1 meter and carry nerve signals in the form of electrical impulses away from the main nerve cell to other nerve cells, muscles, and glands. When axons are bundled together, they form nerves that create a network for the passage of electrical impulses throughout the body. Myelin’s purpose is to enable electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the axons of the nerves while protecting the axon. Nerves, myelin, and the electrical impulses being transmitted across ...