demyelinate
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb: - To destroy or remove the myelin sheath from a nerve fiber. Myelin is a fatty insulating layer that surrounds nerve cells and is essential for the rapid transmission of electrical signals. The process of demyelination disrupts normal nerve function.
Usage and Examples
- Verb:
- The autoimmune response can demyelinate the axons in the central nervous system.
- Researchers observed how the virus could demyelinate peripheral nerves in the laboratory model.
- The primary goal of the treatment is to stop the immune system from continuing to demyelinate healthy nerve tissue.
Advanced Usage
- "to become demyelinated": Describes the state of a nerve fiber that has lost its myelin sheath.
- In multiple sclerosis, areas of the brain and spinal cord become demyelinated, leading to various neurological symptoms.
Variants and Related Words
- Demyelination (noun): The process or result of destroying the myelin sheath.
- The MRI scan showed signs of demyelination in the patient's spinal cord.
- Demyelinating (adjective): Used to describe a disease or process that causes the loss of myelin.
- Multiple sclerosis is a classic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system.
Synonyms
- Strip myelin: A more descriptive phrase for the same action.
- Degrade the myelin sheath: Emphasizes the breakdown of the sheath.
Related Terms (Contextual)
- Myelin: The fatty substance that forms the sheath.
- Remyelinate (verb): The process of repairing or restoring the myelin sheath, often considered the opposite action.
- The body has a limited capacity to remyelinate damaged nerves.
Verb
- destroy the myelin sheath of
- the disease demyelinated the nerve fibers