All articles tagged with #myelin sheath
A recent study suggests that quantum entanglement within the myelin sheaths of neurons could play a role in brain synchronization and consciousness, challenging traditional views and proposing a quantum basis for cognition, though further biological evidence is needed.
MIT scientists have developed a new technology that acts as a 'wearable' device for neurons, potentially aiding in the study and treatment of neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). This technology uses light-controlled polymers to wrap around nerve fibers, aiming to create sensors that can detect and modulate nerve activity at a subcellular level. While still in early testing, this innovation could lead to new ways of understanding and treating demyelinating diseases by providing synthetic myelin-like layers to study neurodegeneration and neuroprotection.
A protein called Mfsd2a, which transports molecules that contain omega-3 fatty acids, is essential for regulating cells that make the fatty coating on nerve fibers, or myelin sheath, that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study indicates. In mice lacking Mfsd2a, the cells that make myelin, or oligodendrocytes, fail to mature, leading to a decline in cellular levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a reduction in myelination. The study opens up potential avenues to develop therapies and dietary supplements based on omega-3 that might help retain myelin in the aging brain and possibly to treat patients with neurological disorders stemming from reduced myelination.