Throughout our lifespan, new sensory experiences and learning continually shape our
neuronal circuits to form new memories. Plasticity at the level of synapses has been …

Myelin, a lipid membrane that wraps axons, enabling fast neurotransmission and metabolic
support to axons, is conventionally thought of as a static structure that is set early in …

BACKGROUND Myelin, produced by oligodendrocytes, supports the rapid and
synchronized transfer of information across the central nervous system (CNS). Earlier views …

Oligodendrocyte loss in neurological disease leaves axons vulnerable to damage and
degeneration, and activity-dependent myelination may represent an endogenous …

The study of brain plasticity has tended to focus on the synapse, where well-described
activity-dependent mechanisms are known to play a key role in learning and memory …

The nodes of Ranvier have clustered Na+ and K+ channels necessary for rapid and efficient
axonal action potential conduction. However, detailed mechanisms of channel clustering …

INTRODUCTION Astrocytes support neuronal function throughout the central nervous
system. In the gray matter, they regulate synapse number during development, remove …

White matter makes up about fifty percent of the human brain. Maturation of white matter
accompanies biological development and undergoes the most dramatic changes during …

Axons are electrically excitable, cable-like neuronal processes that relay information
between neurons within the nervous system and between neurons and peripheral target …

Studies of activity-driven nervous system plasticity have primarily focused on the gray matter.
However, MRI-based imaging studies have shown that white matter, primarily composed of …