Wake Hiroaki, Kato Daisuke
Division of Homeostatic Development, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences.
Brain Nerve. 2015 Apr;67(4):505-12. doi: 10.11477/mf.1416200167.
Accumulated evidence shows that neural information processing takes place in superficial layers of the brain called the gray matter. Synapses, which connect different neurons reside in the gray matter and are considered the major components of information processing and plasticity. On the other hand, myelinated axons lie beneath the gray matter. These bundles of cables connect neurons in the different brain regions to form functional neural circuits. Myelinated axons were of little of interest to neuroscientists and have long been ignored in the formation of functional neuronal circuits. Recent evidence shows that myelin formed by oligodendrocytes shows plastic changes depending on neuronal activity. In this issue, we discuss the plastic changes of myelin and its functional role in learning and training.
越来越多的证据表明，神经信息处理发生在大脑被称为灰质的表层。连接不同神经元的突触位于灰质中，被认为是信息处理和可塑性的主要组成部分。另一方面，有髓轴突位于灰质之下。这些电缆束连接不同脑区的神经元，形成功能性神经回路。有髓轴突一直不太受神经科学家关注，在功能性神经元回路的形成中长期被忽视。最近的证据表明，少突胶质细胞形成的髓鞘会根据神经元活动发生可塑性变化。在本期中，我们将讨论髓鞘的可塑性变化及其在学习和训练中的功能作用。
