In article <373F2C0E.125A7267 at nada.kth.se>, Christian Guttmann
<x98-cgu at nada.kth.se> wrote:
>Mhm, I know that this substance improves Actionpotentials, but
>how. What magic kind of stuff is this? How does it exactly work?
>>Thank you a lot for you help?
>>I really looking forward to here from you!!
>>Christian
Myelin is fat (Schwann cells) that coat an axon the more active it is.
The effect of this insulating fat on the axon's ability to conduct a
signal is similar to the effect of good insulation on a speaker wire. The
signal is less likely to be interfered with by other signals and it is
also less likely to "leak" out before reaching the synapse. I find it
humorous that learning is really just putting fat on in the right places!
--
gary jasdzewski
gary at purdue.edu