A Look at Myelin and Myelin-Related Disorders
Myelin is the protective sheath around axons in the nervous system, and is often referred to as 'white matter.' It acts as an insulator to the electrical signal that is conducted down the axon as a neuron fires, and can well be compared to the insulation around an electrical wire. The myelin sheath contains a variety of fatty substances (lipids), and contains at least ten distinct chemicals (2). . From what is known, axons are not fully myelinated at birth, but myelin is formed from birth on into the second decade of life (3). The way myelination takes place is through glial cells wrapping around the axons in a spiral fashion. The axons are originally embedded in these glial cells, and the cell's membranes extend to wrap the axon tightly and repeatedly. 'Glia' comes from Greek, meaning 'glue,' hinting at the way the cell's membrane sticks to the axon, and how the different layers of the extended membrane stick to each other. There are different glial cells that form myelin: in the central nervous system, these cells are referred to as oligodendrocytes, and in the peripheral nervous system they are Schwann cells. While in the peripheral nervous system the glial cell wraps around a single axon to insulate it, in the central nervous system a glial cell may wrap around several axons at once (4)..
The characteristics and specific functions of myelin have not fully been explored by researchers, and as far as I can tell most current research efforts are initiated by groups that research myelin-related disorders, such as the Myelin Profect. In demyelinating diseases, the myelin sheath around some axons is targeted. These diseases fall into two main groups: acquired diseases and heredit...
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http://www.ulf.org/ulf/intro/#inf1
3) Myelin Disorders Menu <a/, a forum, largely for people affected by demyelinating diseases sharing their experiences, questions and concerns.
http://neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum/MyelinDisordersMenu.html
(4) Principles of Neural Science, Eric R. Kandel and James H. Schwartz, Elsevier, 1985, New York.
http://www.myelin.org/intro.html
5) The Myelin Project webpage <a/, contains information about demyelinating diseases, as well as information on current research.
http://www.myelin.org/intro.html
6) About Multiple Sclerosis <a/, A brief summary of MS at the neurological level.
http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/masquerade/876/ms.html
7) Research summary <a/, a brief summary of research related to remyelination.
http://www.brainpathology.upmc.edu/vol16/0603/63A10.HTM
DeFalco, Amelia. "Jungle creatures and dancing apes: modern primitivism and Nella Larsen's Quicksand." Mosaic [Winnipeg] 38.2 (2005): 19+. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
DeFalco, Amelia. "Jungle creatures and dancing apes: modern primitivism and Nella Larsen's Quicksand." Mosaic [Winnipeg] 38.2 (2005): 19+. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
9.) 2014 Illinois DUI Fact Book. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Illinois Secretary of State. Web. .
“Drink the first. Sip the second slowly. Skip the third. The speedway ends at the cemetery” (Rockne). Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 48 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol related crashes totals more than 51 billion. In Recent discussions of drunk driving, a controversial issue has been whether the driving while intoxicated laws should be increased due to the amount tax payers are paying for drunk driving crashes. On the one hand. Some argue that the driving laws for driving drunk should remain the same and not change. From this perspective the laws about driving under the influence should greatly increase to be stricter, this will help decrease the death rate per year in the United States. On the other hand, however others argue that the laws about driving while drunk are already too strict and should remain unchanged. In sum, then, the issue is whether the laws about driving drunk should be greatly increased to be more effective, or remain unchanged. Because drunk driving can result in unnecessary and premature deaths, unsafe roadways, billions of dollars spent on taxpayers due to DUI’S, and losing a loved one. Drunk driving laws should be altered to be more efficient.
Kandel, E. R., J. H. Schwarz, and T. M. Jessel. Principles of Neural Science. 3rd ed. Elsevier. New York: 1991.
North Carolina DUI & DWI Laws & Enforcement at DMV (2014). The dmv made simple
The neurons or brain cells are shaped like trees. Young brain cells, called soma, resemble an acorn or small seed of a tree. The seed sprouts limbs when stimulated, called dendrites. Further on in development, the cell will grow a trunk like structure called an axon. The axon has an outer shell, like the bark of a tree, called the myelin sheath. Finally, at the base of the cell, there are root-like structures called axon terminal bulbs. Through these bulbs and the dendrite of another cell, cells communicate with each other through electrochemical impulses. These impulses cause the dendrites to
ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Drunk Driving." ProQuest LLC. 2013: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Nov 2013.
There is knocking at a door late at night, and there a policeman standing at the door with information that a family member was in an accident that involved a drunk driver. This is one of those things people hear and believe that it will not happen, but it happens every day. Every 40 minutes, someone in the U.S. is killed by a drunk driver and in 2008, in Montana, 40 percent of all traffic fatalities involved DUIs (“Drunk Driving” 1). Drunk Driving affects everyone and people in Montana should look at what other states do to find ways to make the laws tougher and more enforced.
In both clinical care and research, the use of brain imaging, also known as “neuroimaging”, is becoming an increasingly important technique. New technologies such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or FMRI, allow researchers to study the brain at a level which was never thought possible. This noninvasive procedure allows researchers to visualize brain structure and function, at both the molecular and whole brain level (A.) Scientists are now able to better understand neural networks and a variety of other cognitive processes. For the first time in human history, extremely complex wonders of the brain are being uncovered. Psychiatric diseases, human emotion, personality traits, and many other phenomena that were once mysteries are now being deeply analyzed and understood. Each day new doors are being opened...
The myelin sheath is a fatty substance that surrounds the axons of the nerves and provides protection. It allows messages to be sent rapidly and accurately to the axons from long distances (Serono, 2010). The axons are the part of the nervous system that allows electrical transmission of signals throughout the brain and spinal cord. Without these electrical transmissions, the body would not be able to function properly (Serono, 2010).
MS is a chronic "autoimmune" disease of the central nervous system. The oligodendrocytes decease and the myelin sheath around nerves is destroyed. This process takes place in different areas of the CNS. The openings that emerge because of demyelination are filled by reactive astrocytes (astrogliosis) and develop scar tissue (sclerotic plaque). After demyelination a neuron can no longer effectively conduct electrical signals. Neurological characteristics of patients suffering from MS may include temporary blindness, paralysis, disorientation, double vision and sensory disturbances (Dongxu, H. F. Lee, & D'Souza, 2015) (Bruck, 2005).
“State Estimates of Drunk and Drugged Driving.” The NSDUH Report. 31 May 2012: N.P. SIRS
In conclusion, as the cases of drunk driving quickly increase over a period of time as one of the fastest developing public problem, more definite and stricter regulations should be emphasized on books and in the academic world to control such recurring drunk driving offenses. Drunk driving is a very serious problem in our society today, but it is becoming socially unacceptable causing the numbers of alcohol related traffic fatalities to decline considerably.
R. L. Paul, M. M. (1972). The Species of the Brain Research, 1-19. pp. 113-117. S. A. Clark, T. A.