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Related Concept Videos

Nervous Tissue: Myelin01:25

Nervous Tissue: Myelin

The myelin sheath is a multilayered lipid and protein covering that insulates the axon of a neuron, enhancing the speed of nerve impulse conduction. Axons without this sheath are referred to as unmyelinated. Two types of neuroglia, Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) are responsible for producing myelin sheaths.
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Preparation and Immunostaining of Myelinating Organotypic Cerebellar Slice Cultures
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Published on: March 20, 2019

Prolonged myelination in human neocortical evolution.

Daniel J Miller1, Tetyana Duka, Cheryl D Stimpson

  • 1Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 27, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human brain development shows delayed myelination compared to chimpanzees, with protracted maturation extending into adolescence. This extended neurodevelopment may influence cognitive evolution and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Anthropology

Background:

  • Nerve myelination is crucial for rapid nerve impulse transmission and varies during development, correlating with cognitive maturity.
  • Human cognitive development is unique, but the evolutionary trajectory of neocortical myelination remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the developmental timing of neocortical myelination in humans and chimpanzees.
  • To investigate if human neocortical myelination patterns are evolutionarily distinct.

Main Methods:

  • Quantified myelinated axon fiber length density and myelin-related protein expression.
  • Analyzed samples from human and chimpanzee neocortex across postnatal development.
  • Included somatosensory, motor, frontopolar, and visual cortical areas.

Main Results:

  • Human neocortical myelination is significantly protracted compared to chimpanzees.
  • Chimpanzee myelination reached adult levels around sexual maturity.
  • Human myelination showed slower progression through childhood and a delayed maturation extending beyond adolescence.

Conclusions:

  • Human neocortical development exhibits a unique, extended timeline of myelination compared to chimpanzees.
  • This protracted developmental process may be linked to the evolution of human cognition and behavior.
  • Delayed adolescent cortical maturation in humans could have implications for susceptibility to psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia.