Myelin News and Research

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Myelin is the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves.

Swedish study reveals COVID-19 may increase glandular fever risk

Even individuals who did not become seriously ill with COVID-19 may have developed a weakened immune system that could lead to serious illnesses in the future.

17 Mar 2026

Gene mutation that aids high-altitude survival could repair myelin sheath damage

A genetic mutation that helps animals like yaks and Tibetan antelopes survive at high altitudes may hold the key to repairing nerve damage in conditions such as cerebral paralysis and multiple sclerosis (MS).

13 Mar 2026

Enhancing myelination may help sustain therapeutic effects of psychedelic-assisted PTSD treatment

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not only characterized by strongly encoded traumatic memories, but also by disrupted coordination across brain networks.

4 Mar 2026

New maps of mouse brains reveal patterns of myelin formation

Johns Hopkins scientists say they have used 3D imaging, special microscopes and artificial intelligence (AI) programs to construct new maps of mouse brains showing a precise location of more than 10 million cells called oligodendrocytes.

22 Feb 2026

Study reveals dynamic nature of myelin swellings

An international research team of Amsterdam UMC, VU LaserLab, the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the University of Edinburgh have gained new insights into the dynamics of myelin swellings in the brain.

12 Feb 2026

AI-powered tool automatically segments human brainstem white matter bundles

Small and dense but filled with vitally important neural fibers, the brainstem has been hard for brain imaging technologies to dissect.

9 Feb 2026

EBV-linked killer T cells implicated in multiple sclerosis

Researchers at UC San Francisco have uncovered a new clue to how Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) could contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease that affects nearly one million Americans.

5 Feb 2026

Brain cell precursors show constant myelin-making drive

In experiments with mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists report new evidence that precursors of myelin-producing cells - one of the few brain cell types that continue to be produced in the adult brain - undergo differentiation widely and at a constant pace, rather than "as needed" in response to injury or advancing age.

22 Jan 2026

Exercise-triggered mitochondrial transfer offers hope for stroke and dementia

Physical rehabilitation and symptom management still remain the mainstay of treatment for stroke, as clot removal or dissolution is effective only within a narrow time frame after the stroke.

21 Jan 2026

Rare immune events link Epstein Barr virus to early multiple sclerosis damage

Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis arise when the immune system turns against the body itself.

14 Jan 2026

Epstein-Barr virus together with a gene variant contributes to onset of multiple sclerosis

One of the leading triggers for multiple sclerosis (MS) is an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus. However, certain gene variants also play an important role.

13 Jan 2026

Microglia help protect the spinal cord from age-related damage

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that the nervous system's own immune cells help protect the spinal cord from age-related damage.

7 Jan 2026

New guidelines aim to standardize diagnosis of canine dementia

An international working group of canine cognition experts has released a set of guidelines for veterinarians to use in diagnosing and monitoring canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS), or canine dementia.

5 Jan 2026

Researchers identify hundreds of genes essential for the development of brain cells

An international research team identified hundreds of genes essential for the development of brain cells, including one gene linked to a severe neurodevelopmental disorder not previously described.

5 Jan 2026

Periodontal bacterial load associated with disease severity in multiple sclerosis

Increasing evidence suggests that the severe gum disease, periodontitis, may contribute to central nervous system disorders through chronic inflammation.

30 Dec 2025

Researchers decipher anti-MOG antibody construction, paving way for therapies

MOG Antibody-associated Disease (MOGAD) is a rare autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. The blood of patients contains antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), a protein in the myelin layer that surrounds the neurons in the brain. It is believed that these antibodies contribute to the destruction of this protective layer in the brain.

18 Dec 2025

Brain structural changes linked to chronic PTSD in World Trade Center responders

New research among World Trade Center (WTC) responders with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has uncovered measurable physical changes in their brain structure, consistent with changes in the balance of myelinated to unmyelinated neurons (fast- and slow-conducting nerve cells) across both hemispheres of the brain.

17 Dec 2025

Lipoic acid shows limited benefit in progressive multiple sclerosis

The over-the-counter supplement lipoic acid may have a small beneficial effect in slowing the loss of gray matter in the brains of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, according to new research led by Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA Health Care System.

15 Dec 2025

Gut bacteria mimicry can accelerate the progression of multiple sclerosis

If gut bacteria are too similar to the protective layer of nerves, they can misdirect the immune system and cause it to attack its own nervous system.

15 Dec 2025

Autoimmune attack on CASPR2 drives nerve hyperexcitability and involuntary muscle activity

A scientific review on autoimmune neurological diseases reveals what occurs in our body when the immune system, by mistake, produces antibodies that target a protein essential for the normal functioning of nerves.

12 Dec 2025