Myelination

Myelination, or myelinogenesis, is the formation and development of myelin sheaths in the nervous system, typically initiated in late prenatal neurodevelopment and continuing throughout postnatal development. The term myelinogenesis is also sometimes used to differentiate the very early stages of embryonic myelination.

Myelin is formed by oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system. Myelination continues throughout the lifespan to support learning and memory via neural circuit plasticity as well as remyelination following injury. Successful myelination of axons increases action potential speed by enabling saltatory conduction, which is essential for timely signal conduction between spatially separate brain regions, as well as provides metabolic support to neurons.