What makes the human brain unique? Of the many explanations that can be offered, one that doesn’t come readily to mind is — myelin.
Myelin may also be the cause of “our unique vulnerability to highly prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders.”
Conventional wisdom holds that myelin, the sheet of fat that coats a neuron’s axon — a long fiber that conducts the neuron’s electrical impulses — is akin to the wrapping around an electrical wire, protecting and fostering efficient signaling.
But the research of UCLA neurology professor George Bartzokis, M.D., has already shown that myelin problems are implicated in diseases that afflict both young and old — from schizophrenia to Alzheimer’s. Story at scienceBlog