Myelin

Researchers in the labs of Laurie Cutting and Bennett Landman recently published a study in Magnetic Resonance Imaging exploring a new tool for imaging the brains of neurofibromatosis type 1 patients and its significance in assessing their symptoms.  Read More

In laboratory experiments, a chemical compound found in the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported Aug. 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Bruce Carter and colleagues have discovered how genetic changes in the protein PMP22 may contribute to a disease of peripheral nerves. Read More

Genetic mutations in PMP22 (peripheral myelin protein 22) cause a variety of peripheral neuropathies, underscoring the importance of the protein to a healthy peripheral nervous system. But the precise function of PMP22, a major component of the myelin sheath that surrounds and insulates peripheral nerve cell axons, has been unclear. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers show that two factors promote the repair of myelin, the nerve cell covering that deteriorates in diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators report an improved model for estimating brain health, using MRI. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that profound defects exist in the integrity of structural RNA molecules in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. Read More

A protein in the myelin coating on nerves helps form a “seal” that enables effective nerve conduction; loss of the protein causes inherited neuropathies. Read More

Death of oligodendrocytes, the cells that make myelin, appears to be an early event in the development of multiple sclerosis. Read More

Certain MRI metrics can be used to assess myelin loss in multiple sclerosis, which is important for planning and monitoring therapy. Read More