Myelin and the Central Nervous System (cont.)
Medical Author:
Fernando Dangond, MD
Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical EditorMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology. IN THIS ARTICLE
What happens when myelin is destroyed?When myelin is destroyed, the transmission of nerve impulses is impaired. Messages do not get through quickly and clearly from the brain to the correct body part. The more myelin is destroyed, the slower and less efficient the nerve impulses are. Depending on the severity of the immune system attack, the nerve fibers themselves may be damaged or destroyed. (See Multimedia file 1). Damage to nerve fibers may play an important role in determining how severe disability in multiple sclerosis may become. When the brain nerves do not communicate well with nerves from other areas of the central nervous system (brainstem or spinal cord) or cannot relay information to nerves that exit these structures (peripheral nervous system), the symptoms of multiple sclerosis can occur. |
Multiple Sclerosis
Get the latest treatment options.
From WebMD
Healthy Resources
Featured Centers
- Ask the Nutritionist: Weight Loss Tips
- Which Drugstore Tooth Whiteners Work Best?
- Gout: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
Charcot-Marie-Tooth and Other Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathies »
Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease was first recognized independently in France and Great Britain (Charcot and Marie, 1886; Tooth, 1886).
Featured Topics
Medical Dictionary
Pill Identifier on RxList
- quick,
easy,
pill identification
Find a Local Pharmacy
- including
24 hour
pharmacies

