Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Myelin damage is a hallmark of several neurological disorders, but how it occurs remains to be fully understood. In this study, we found that early damage in zebrafish and rodent demyelination models is characterized by myelin swelling. We show, through live imaging, that myelin swelling does not always lead to myelin loss and that swellings can sometimes resolve, allowing sheaths to remodel. Increased neuronal activity during early demyelination exacerbates myelin damage, whereas reducing neuronal activity mitigates myelin swelling in both zebrafish and mice. In human multiple sclerosis tissue, myelin swelling is also dynamic and is prominent around active lesions. Our data indicate that myelin swelling is a conserved feature of demyelination and that damage to myelin sheaths can resolve, opening opportunities for targeting human disease.
Source: Science
Authors: Donia Arafa, Julia van de Korput, Philipp N. Braaker, Kieran P. Higgins, Niels R. C. Meijns, Katy L. H. Marshall-Phelps, Julia Meng, Daniel Soong, Eleonora Scalia, Kyle Lathem, Marcus Keatinge, Claire Richmond, Anna Klingseisen, Marja Main, Sarah A. Neely, David W. Hampton, Greg J. Duncan, Geert J. Schenk, Marie Louise Groot, Siddharthan Chandran, Ben Emery, Antonio Luchicchi, Maarten H. P. Kole, Anna C. Williams, David A. Lyons
Institutions: University of Edinburgh, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht University, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Oregon Health & Science University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Language: English
Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Wellcome Trust, International Progressive MS Alliance, Multiple Sclerosis Society, European Commission, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Stichting MS Research, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, National Institutes of Health, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, NIH Office of the Director
Awards: G1515206938, G2001806450, Does neuronal activity modulate action potential conduction along myelinated axons in developing neural circuits?, G2899136556, Using zebrafish to study myelination and neural circuit function., G3246315329, G3345895242, ZEbrafish Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Training Hub, Translational Neuroscience 2 (TN2), G6844362717, G6868616705, G7735027310, G7984235579, G8005054536, G8512683158, Ship Evacuation Data and Scenarios, Translational Neuroscience 2 (TN2), Neuronal responses to chronic demyelination, G912536483
OpenAlex ID: W7128674888