Myelin Sheath Gap

Myelin Sheath Gap

Myelin sheath gaps or nodes of Ranvier are the gaps (approximately 1 micrometer in length) formed between the myelin sheaths generated by different cells. A myelin sheath is a many-layered coating, largely composed of a fatty substance called myelin, that wraps around the axon of a neuron and very efficiently insulates it. At nodes of Ranvier, the axonal membrane is uninsulated and therefore capable of generating electrical activity.

Read more about Myelin Sheath Gap:  Overview, History, Additional Images

Famous quotes containing the word gap:

    The temples, the tank, the jail, the palace, the birds, the carrion, the Guest House, that came into view as they issued from the gap and saw Mau beneath: they didn’t want it, they said in their hundred voices, “No, not yet,” and the sky said, “No, not there.”
    —E.M. (Edward Morgan)