The myelin sheath acts as insulation of the electrical signal carried through each neuron.

Often refered to as the “white matter of the brain”, the myelin sheath is made up of lipids,
proteins and fibers. This insulation of the axon is responsible for aide in conduction of the
electrical impulses which travel from one neuron to the next. Myelin plays an important
role in how well messages are exchanged through out the brain, in our ability to retain
and access information (intelligence), and in the developmental stages through out our
lifespan. When the myelin sheath is damaged or not developed properly, we have some
neurodegenerative autoimmune disease present. (1)

I have heard about myelination, also known as myelinization, through many of the
podcasts I listen to, in regards to both early childhood development and adolescence. In
deeper research, I found some very interesting research that has gone on recently to help
us understand more about this process.

The neural circuits of our brain depend upon the myelin sheath to help improve
transmission of the messages carried through the brain. This process, called the
propagation of nerve impulses is a combination of physics and biology. Let me break it
down into simpler terms: the electrical impulse travels through a conductor, like a wire
(axon) and the insulation (myelin) protects that conduction, allowing it to carry power
(action potential) through out the unit (brain). Thus, the bigger the wire (axon) and the
thicker the insulation (myelin) result in better quality of electrical impulses. This
translates into higher capacity for intelligence and thinking overall is improved. (2)

From what we know about the Myelin Sheath, and how it helps to improve overall
function of brain activity, we can deduce that Myelination, aka Myelinization, is a
process in which certain structures in the brain undergo experience growth, or solidity of
the Myelin Sheath. The neurons which function in the Wernicke’s, and Broca’s areas, for
example, would show signs of physical change, detectable in an MRI. Researchers or
doctors would then assume that the child is developing langusge skills. To quote a
popular online dictionary, Myelinization is, “The formation of the myelin sheath around a
nerve fiber. Also known as myelination.” (4)

An interesting study done by T. Paus et al. (2000), in which 111 children and adolescents
were analyzed via MRI, “reveals age-related increases in white-matter density in fiber
tracts constituting apparent corticospinal and frontotemporal pathways.” In the area of
cortical spinal tract, maturation was bilateral, but frontotemporal development was
predominately in the left hemisphere, where language is developed. During late
childhood and adolescence, fiber pathways continue to mature gradually in support of
speech and motor functions. The findings of this research suggest guidance for further
investigations of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schitzophrenia: "the abnormal
rate of myelinization during childhood or adolescence may very well underlie the
emergence of psychotic symptomatology." The authors of this research suggest that by
detecting subtle variations in white matter structure in the living human brain, opens
doors for further research on normal and abnormal cognitive development and in the
evaluation of the long-term effects of various treatment strategies. (2)

In an editorial article published in “Neurology, 2006,” by Richard N. Aslin, PhD; and Bradley
L. Schlaggar, MD, PhD, (3) myelination is explained to be a factor in language development,
but not as the precipitating event which would lead to language development. In a study
done by Pujol et al. data was collected by parental report on “spurts” of growth in the child, in addition to
MRI data and the conclusions “…suggest that the characteristic spurt in toddlers’ vocabulary occurs only
after a certain degree of myelination is attained.” Despite sophisticated segmentation techniques from MRI
data and substantial sample size, we can see a definite correlation between myelination and language
development. However, the authors of the article cited above, propose that “myelination could contribute to
language development, other anatomic or functional variables (e.g., synaptic efficiency) could be correlated
with myelination and serve as the true causal agent of vocabulary growth.”

I find this interesting, as it poses a dilemma in my mid because we see myelination occur, not only in the
early childhood years when language is developed, but we also see a surge in myelinization when a child
hits puberty. In an article published online by the National Institute for Mental Health in 2001, we learn
about early research which discovered increased activity in the gray matter, found in the Cerebral
Hemisphere. Since gray matter contains neuronal cell bodies, glial cells, as well as nueropil (dendrites,
axons, both Myelinated and Unmyelinated). (5) Teens experience a “growth spurt just prior to puberty
predominates in the frontal lobe, the seat of "executive functions"—planning, impulse control and
reasoning.” The article goes on to say that researchers previously determined that
Myelination occurs from front to back, going through significant changes as the child
improves ability to use langue, and understanding of spatial relations. It was previously
concluded that the change culminates around age 12, after the critical period for language
development. (6)

In later research, researchers study the differences in brains of early adults and teenagers
through MRI. What they examined is the Myelination, or establishment of myelin
sheaths, to determine where the brain had developed the foundation to form complete
processes. It comes to no surprise that the frontal lobe, area of executive functioning,
decision making, and reasoning, showed the greatest change as teenagers mature into
adulthood. The article concludes with findings about the amygdala functions in
processing emotion shifting more to the frontal cortex as the adolescent becomes a young
adult. Although I am not entirely satisfied by this article, it gives great insight into the
brain development that’s really going on in teenagers. (6)

We now know that the brain continues to change and to grow through out the human life
span. New theories around plasticity of the human brain suggest that we are able to be
shaped and transformed well into our adulthood, as certain needs and situations arise in
which we must adapt.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelin
2. http://cogweb.ucla.edu/CogSci/Myelinate.html
3. http://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/aslin/pdfs/Aslin_Schlagger.pdf
4. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=33823
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_matter
6. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/teenage-brain-a-work-in-progress-
fact-sheet/index.shtml