Myelin: A gatekeeper of activity-dependent circuit plasticity?

Insulation for circuit regulation Lipid-rich myelin, which wraps around and insulates neuronal axons, improves the speed and efficiency of signal propagation. Myelination is not universally applied in the central nervous system, and even axons within the same circuit can vary in the amount of myelination they carry. Bonetto et al . reviewed what is known about how such variability can affect computational functions in brain circuits. Myelin plasticity may be one mechanism linking experiential learning to modified brain connections. Whether you are learning to juggle or learning to read, changes in myelination may tune the circuits underlying those skills. —PJH