Diversity Matters: A Revised Guide to Myelination

Tomassy, Giulio Srubek; Dershowitz, Lori Bowe; Arlotta, Paola

doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2015.09.002

Cited by 89 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 109 publications

(113 reference statements)

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“…Through the activation of dopamine D3 receptors, dopamine inhibits oligodendrocyte precursor cells as well as immature oligodendrocytes (48) from maturing into oligodendrocytes that can produce myelin sheaths around axonal fibers in the central nervous system (for a review, see ref. 49). In the present study, we used a common variant in the COMT gene that allows us to infer brain dopamine levels in student subjects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain white matter structure and COMT gene are linked to second-language learning in adults

Mamiya

Richards

Coe

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Adult human brains retain the capacity to undergo tissue reorganization during second-language learning. Brain-imaging studies show a relationship between neuroanatomical properties and learning for adults exposed to a second language. However, the role of genetic factors in this relationship has not been investigated. The goal of the current study was twofold: (i) to characterize the relationship between brain white matter fiber-tract properties and second-language immersion using diffusion tensor imaging, and (ii) to determine whether polymorphisms in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene affect the relationship. We recruited incoming Chinese students enrolled in the University of Washington and scanned their brains one time. We measured the diffusion properties of the white matter fiber tracts and correlated them with the number of days each student had been in the immersion program at the time of the brain scan. We found that higher numbers of days in the English immersion program correlated with higher fractional anisotropy and lower radial diffusivity in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. We show that fractional anisotropy declined once the subjects finished the immersion program. The relationship between brain white matter fiber-tract properties and immersion varied in subjects with different COMT genotypes. Subjects with the Methionine (Met)/Valine (Val) and Val/Val genotypes showed higher fractional anisotropy and lower radial diffusivity during immersion, which reversed immediately after immersion ended, whereas those with the Met/Met genotype did not show these relationships. Statistical modeling revealed that subjects' grades in the language immersion program were best predicted by fractional anisotropy and COMT genotype.genetic variation | short-term plasticity | dopamine S econd-language learning in adulthood is becoming increasingly prevalent as globalization advances. Previous studies show that gray matter volume and density are related to foreign language speech learning (1, 2), and that the degree of volumetric change in an individual predicts the level of foreign language proficiency achieved by that person (3, 4). Recent studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques further show that diffusion properties of brain white matter structure are correlated with foreign language learning (5-7). One of these studies demonstrated that the changes in diffusion properties predicted students' second-language proficiency at the end of a language immersion program (7). These findings suggest that the properties of brain structure change with the acquisition of a new language, and that the adult human brain is capable of tissue reorganization in response to intense use of a new language after the putative "critical period."What remains unknown is whether and how genetic factors are related to brain white matter fiber-tract properties as learning ensues. Cumulative evidence using DTI analysis has suggested that brain white matter fiber-tract properties are related to skill learning ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain white matter structure and COMT gene are linked to second-language learning in adults

Mamiya

Richards

Coe

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Oligodendrocytes concentrically wrap their plasma membranes around the axons of neurons in order to produce myelin, a multi-layered, compact sheath that insulates the axon and allows for rapid conduction of electrical impulses. Myelination regulates the activity and timing of neural circuits [1–3], while also providing metabolic support [4]. Oligodendrocytes arise from oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) that multiply and populate the CNS during development until they mature into myelinating oligodendrocytes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The environment rules: spatiotemporal regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation

Mayoral

Chan

2016

Current Opinion in Neurobiology

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During development oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) rapidly proliferate and migrate throughout the central nervous system. The mobilization of OPCs is followed by terminal differentiation into mature oligodendrocytes and the subsequent myelination of axons. Differentiation of OPCs is CNS-wide and robust, and yet spatially and temporally restricted. What factors control this precise and coordinated differentiation effort? We discuss evidence for both intrinsic and extrinsic cues in regulating OPC differentiation and gather that extrinsic cues play the leading role in regulating the differentiation of OPCs into mature oligodendrocytes.

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“…However, it later became apparent that these sheaths vary significantly in morphology from the vertebrate archetype (Section 2.3). These structural differences have lead to the modern misconception that invertebrates do not possess "true" myelin [11,12]. A more useful approach is to define myelin functionally.…”

Section: What Is Myelin?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, myelination is a dynamic process occurring throughout life, and dependent upon complex two-way interactions between glia and axons (Section 4). An exhaustive description of these processes is far beyond the scope of this review; there are several comprehensive reviews [12,89,90,91,92]. Here, I will focus on the likely evolutionary origins of myelinating glia.…”

Section: Developmental Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Myelin: Theories and Application to Human Disease

Knowles¹

2017

J Evol Med

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Myelin, once thought of as a simple insulating sheath, is now known to be a complex, dynamic structure. It has multiple functions in addition to increasing conduction velocity, including reducing the energetic cost of action potentials, saving space, and metabolic functions. Myelin is also notable for likely having arisen independently at least three times over the course of evolutionary history. This article reviews the available evidence about the evolution of myelin and proposes a hypothesis of how it arose in vertebrates. It then discusses the evolutionary trade-offs associated with myelination and suggests a possible animal model for further study of this phenomenon. Finally, it briefly covers the neural regulation of myelination before discussing possible roles of myelin in human social cognition and evolution, and the relevance of this to human disease.

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Diversity Matters: A Revised Guide to Myelination

Cited by 89 publications

References 109 publications

Brain white matter structure and COMT gene are linked to second-language learning in adults

Brain white matter structure and COMT gene are linked to second-language learning in adults

The environment rules: spatiotemporal regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation

The Evolution of Myelin: Theories and Application to Human Disease

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