LA MIELINA ES EL ABRIGO Y ALIMENTACIÓN DE LAS NEURONAS


Metabolic support for neurons

The myelin sheath around nerve fibres serves to speed up electrical nerve signals. But it turns out that it also supplies neurons with fuel to support their high metabolic activity


Blood glucose (orange) can be taken up by non-neuronal brain cells known as oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. Inside the cells, glucose is broken down to lactate (blue), which can then be transferred to neurons and used to generate metabolic energy in the form of ATP molecules (yellow). Lee et al.2 show that oligodendrocytes supply nerve fibres (axons) with lactate delivered through a transporter protein (MCT1, not shown) located in the myelin, a membranous sheath around the axons. Lactate can also be produced in astrocytes and then transferred to axons by means of small pores (gap junctions, not shown) through the myelin. In addition, blood lactate may reach neurons through astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.


Neuroscience: The wrap that feeds neurons
Johanne E. Rinholm     & Linda H. Bergersen
Nature 487, 435–436 (26 July 2012)