By Kermit Pattison – The FAS Current –
Harvard biologists reveal how brain cells guide myelin to specific locations
In the complex circuitry of the brain, a fatty substance known as myelin plays a vital role in insulating neural wiring. It coats billions of axons in the brain and makes up about one-fifth of the organ in humans.
But just how this essential substance is laid down — and how it is customized in diverse types of specialized brain cells — has remained mysterious. By revealing some of the molecular signals that govern this process, a new study by Harvard biologists takes a step toward illuminating brain development and providing clues that may lead to therapies for devastating neurological disorders.
