Preprint Review Version 2 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Functional Myelin in Cognition and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Version 1 : Received: 4 December 2023 / Approved: 6 December 2023 / Online: 6 December 2023 (08:56:09 CET)
Version 2 : Received: 8 December 2023 / Approved: 12 December 2023 / Online: 12 December 2023 (10:53:53 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Khelfaoui, H.; Ibaceta-Gonzalez, C.; Angulo, M.C. Functional Myelin in Cognition and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 2024, 81, doi:10.1007/s00018-024-05222-2. Khelfaoui, H.; Ibaceta-Gonzalez, C.; Angulo, M.C. Functional Myelin in Cognition and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 2024, 81, doi:10.1007/s00018-024-05222-2.

Abstract

In vertebrates, oligodendrocytes (OLs) are glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS) responsible for the formation of the myelin sheath that surrounds the axons of neurons. The myelin sheath plays a crucial role in the transmission of neuronal information by promoting the rapid saltatory conduction of action potentials and providing neurons with structural and metabolic support. Saltatory conduction, first described in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), is now generally recognized as a universal evolutionary innovation to respond quickly to the environment: myelin helps us think and act fast. However, the function of myelin in the CNS, particularly in the brain, is not necessarily to act quickly, but rather to act correctly. In this respect, myelin should primarily play a role in synchronizing the different neuronal networks, a synchrony that occurs in the form of oscillations (or rhythms) relevant for specific information processing. Interestingly, myelin has been directly involved in different types of cognitive processes relying on brain oscillations, and myelin plasticity is currently considered to be part of the fundamental mechanisms for memory formation and maintenance. However, despite ample evidence showing the involvement of myelin in cognition and neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by cognitive impairments, the link between myelin, brain oscillations, cognition and disease is not yet fully understood. In this review, we aim to highlight what is known and what remains to be explored to understand the role of myelin in high order brain processes.

Keywords

myelin; cognition; oligodendrocytes; OPCs; development; schizophrenia; autism spectrum disorder; brain oscillations

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Neuroscience and Neurology

Comments (1)

Comment 1
Received: 12 December 2023
Commenter: Maria Cecilia Angulo
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: Author
Comment: Add concluding remarks and made some language corrections.
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