Myelin: A gatekeeper of activity-dependent circuit plasticity?

Giulia Bonetto; David Belin; Ragnhildur Þóra Káradóttir

doi:10.1126/science.aba6905

Myelin: A gatekeeper of activity-dependent circuit plasticity?

Giulia Bonetto, David Belin, Ragnhildur Þóra Káradóttir

Faculty of Medicine

University of Iceland

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

The brain is responsive to an ever-changing environment, enabling the organism to learn and change behavior accordingly. Efforts to understand the underpinnings of this plasticity have almost exclusively focused on the functional and underlying structural changes that neurons undergo at neurochemical synapses. What has received comparatively little attention is the involvement of activity-dependent myelination in such plasticity and the functional output of circuits controlling behavior. The traditionally held view of myelin as a passive insulator of axons is changing to one of lifelong changes in myelin, modulated by neuronal activity and experience. We review the nascent evidence of the functional role of myelin plasticity in strengthening circuit functions that underlie learning and behavior.

Original language	English
Article number	eaba6905
Pages (from-to)	eaba6905
Journal	Science
Volume	374
Issue number	6569
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba6905
Publication status	Published - 12 Nov 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding: Supported by the European Research Council (ERC: the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program grant agreement 771411; R.T.K., G.B.); the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group (Allen Distinguished Investigator program #12076, R.T.K.); the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (Centre of Excellence Award #132, R.T.K.); the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine (a research prize, R.T.K.); and the Medical Research Council (grant MR/N02530X/1, D.B.). The funders had no role in the decision to publish, nor in the preparation of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

Other keywords

Animals
Axons/physiology
Brain
Brain/physiology
Cell Differentiation
Cell Proliferation
Cell differentiation
Gray Matter/physiology
Humans
Learning
Memory
Motor Activity
Myelin
Myelin Sheath/physiology
Neural Conduction
Neuronal Plasticity
Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells/physiology
Oligodendrocyte precursor cells
Oligodendroglia
Oligodendroglia/physiology
White Matter/physiology
White matter

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Cite this

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title = "Myelin: A gatekeeper of activity-dependent circuit plasticity?",

abstract = "The brain is responsive to an ever-changing environment, enabling the organism to learn and change behavior accordingly. Efforts to understand the underpinnings of this plasticity have almost exclusively focused on the functional and underlying structural changes that neurons undergo at neurochemical synapses. What has received comparatively little attention is the involvement of activity-dependent myelination in such plasticity and the functional output of circuits controlling behavior. The traditionally held view of myelin as a passive insulator of axons is changing to one of lifelong changes in myelin, modulated by neuronal activity and experience. We review the nascent evidence of the functional role of myelin plasticity in strengthening circuit functions that underlie learning and behavior.",

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author = "Giulia Bonetto and David Belin and K{\'a}rad{\'o}ttir, \{Ragnhildur {\TH}{\'o}ra\}",

note = "Funding: Supported by the European Research Council (ERC: the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program grant agreement 771411; R.T.K., G.B.); the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group (Allen Distinguished Investigator program \#12076, R.T.K.); the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (Centre of Excellence Award \#132, R.T.K.); the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine (a research prize, R.T.K.); and the Medical Research Council (grant MR/N02530X/1, D.B.). The funders had no role in the decision to publish, nor in the preparation of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.",

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month = nov,

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doi = "10.1126/science.aba6905",

language = "English",

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AU - Belin, David

AU - Káradóttir, Ragnhildur Þóra

N1 - Funding: Supported by the European Research Council (ERC: the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program grant agreement 771411; R.T.K., G.B.); the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group (Allen Distinguished Investigator program #12076, R.T.K.); the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (Centre of Excellence Award #132, R.T.K.); the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine (a research prize, R.T.K.); and the Medical Research Council (grant MR/N02530X/1, D.B.). The funders had no role in the decision to publish, nor in the preparation of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/11/12

Y1 - 2021/11/12

N2 - The brain is responsive to an ever-changing environment, enabling the organism to learn and change behavior accordingly. Efforts to understand the underpinnings of this plasticity have almost exclusively focused on the functional and underlying structural changes that neurons undergo at neurochemical synapses. What has received comparatively little attention is the involvement of activity-dependent myelination in such plasticity and the functional output of circuits controlling behavior. The traditionally held view of myelin as a passive insulator of axons is changing to one of lifelong changes in myelin, modulated by neuronal activity and experience. We review the nascent evidence of the functional role of myelin plasticity in strengthening circuit functions that underlie learning and behavior.

AB - The brain is responsive to an ever-changing environment, enabling the organism to learn and change behavior accordingly. Efforts to understand the underpinnings of this plasticity have almost exclusively focused on the functional and underlying structural changes that neurons undergo at neurochemical synapses. What has received comparatively little attention is the involvement of activity-dependent myelination in such plasticity and the functional output of circuits controlling behavior. The traditionally held view of myelin as a passive insulator of axons is changing to one of lifelong changes in myelin, modulated by neuronal activity and experience. We review the nascent evidence of the functional role of myelin plasticity in strengthening circuit functions that underlie learning and behavior.

KW - Animals

KW - Axons/physiology

KW - Brain

KW - Brain/physiology

KW - Cell Differentiation

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KW - Cell differentiation

KW - Gray Matter/physiology

KW - Humans

KW - Learning

KW - Memory

KW - Motor Activity

KW - Myelin

KW - Myelin Sheath/physiology

KW - Neural Conduction

KW - Neuronal Plasticity

KW - Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells/physiology

KW - Oligodendrocyte precursor cells

KW - Oligodendroglia

KW - Oligodendroglia/physiology

KW - White Matter/physiology

KW - White matter

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85118940852

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DO - 10.1126/science.aba6905

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JO - Science

JF - Science

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M1 - eaba6905

ER -

Myelin: A gatekeeper of activity-dependent circuit plasticity?

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Other keywords

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