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Abstract
White matter is the brain region underlying the gray matter cortex, composed of neuronal
fibers coated with electrical insulation called myelin. Previously of interest in
demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis, myelin is attracting new interest
as an unexpected contributor to a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including depression
and schizophrenia. This is stimulating research into myelin involvement in normal
cognitive function, learning and IQ. Myelination continues for decades in the human
brain; it is modifiable by experience, and it affects information processing by regulating
the velocity and synchrony of impulse conduction between distant cortical regions.
Cell-culture studies have identified molecular mechanisms regulating myelination by
electrical activity, and myelin also limits the critical period for learning through
inhibitory proteins that suppress axon sprouting and synaptogenesis.