Bernard Zalc, Florence Rosier

Myelin (eBook, ePUB)

The Brain's Supercharger

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

The emergence of myelin 425 million years ago marked a turning point in evolution. Consider for a moment the invention of insulated wire, which allows for the transmission of electrical current. Functioning in a similar way, the membrane surrounding nerve fibers, or myelin, enables the remarkable acceleration of nerve impulses. Surprisingly, myelin occupies nearly half the volume of the human brain and is critical for our intellectual and motor performance. Without myelin, our thoughts and our movements would suffer overwhelming delays. We owe our reflexes to myelin: it is what makes us brake when a child dashes out onto the road, or snatch away a hand absent-mindedly placed on a burning hot stove. When damaged, myelin can lead to irreversible disability, cognitive decline, and sensory impairments. The study of myelin's role in the conduction of nerve impulses has led to a better understanding of several diseases including multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Charcot disease (ALS), and Niemann-Pick disease.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Oxford University Press
• Seitenzahl: 304
• Erscheinungstermin: 22. August 2018
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780190686116
• Artikelnr.: 53628675

Autorenporträt

The Authors: Bernard Zalc is a neuroscientist and a Director Emeritus of Research at Inserm. He leads the ICM brain and spinal cord research center (Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière) at Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris. Florence Rosier is a Science and Health Journalist who regularly contributes to the science and medicine section of Le Monde. The translator: Robert N. Cory is a medical translator and former neuroscientist living in Quebec City. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at CNRS-Inserm in Montpellier, France.

Inhaltsangabe

* Contents
* Prologue
* 1. The vertebrate nervous system and the miraculous appearance of
myelin
* 2. The cellular building blocks of the vertebrate nervous system
* 3. The discovery of myelin: A long story full of twists and turns
* 4. A highly sophisticated substance
* 5. Myelin's three functions
* 6. A long evolutionary adventure
* 7. How myelin forms during development
* 8. Genetic disorders of myelin
* 9. Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable demyelinating disease
* 10. Myelin disorders of the peripheral nervous system
* 11. Corpus callosum lesions and other disconnections of myelinated
tracts
* 12. Delays in myelination associated with a very preterm birth
* 13. Myelin and cognition: A fascinating challenge for researchers
* 14. Conclusion: The "gray gold" and "white gold" of the brain: Two
treasures with a common destiny
* For more about myelin disorders, treatments, and the latest research
* References
* Acknowledgments
* Index