The Advantages of Myelination & Conduction Velocity

The human brain is effectively one giant electrical grid. Electrical impulses shoot across the network from one area to another, and the end result of this process is human cognition, movement, and every other aspect of the human experience. Part of what facilitates this giant electrical network is myelination.

Insulation

• Electricity shoots across the brain in the same way that wires carry electricity across electronic devices. If these wires are bare metal, then the amount of charge can deteriorate as it travels across the metal span. Additionally, if something touches the wire then the charge can be further compromised. Consequently, competent engineers and tinkerers wrap wires in an insulating material to maintain the integrity of the charge, and allow objects to touch the wire without diverting the charge.

Nerve Signals

• In the brain, electrical signals pass through complex pathways of nerve cells. These cells, among other components, consist of dendrites and an axon. Dendrites are root-like structures that branch out on either end of the nerve cell. Through the thousands of synapses on each dendrite, these structures function to send and receive electrical impulses to and from other nerves. These dendrites are connected by the axon, which functions as the electrical "wire" across which the electrical impulse travels.

Myelination

• The Myelin sheath is the neural equivalent of an electrical wire's insulation: it is a segmented substance that covers the axon from one end to the other. Just like the insulation on an electrical wire, it protects the electrical impulse that is traveling through the axon from interference from the electrical impulses traveling through all the other nerves that surround it. The myelin sheath also helps speed the conduction of the electrical impulse from one end of the nerve to the other.

Problems from Demyelination

• These electrical impulses shooting through a manifold number of neural paths in the brain are the mechanics of the brain's very functioning: healthy myelination that encourages a fast conduction velocity of these impulses improves brain functioning in the same way that a faster processor improves a computer's performance. Additionally, if the myelination in an individual's brain begins to break down, it can lead to a host of neurological problems including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.