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PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Cell. Neurosci.
Sec. Cellular Neuropathology
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fncel.2025.1565913
This article is part of the Research Topic Oligodendroglia Biology and Pathology: Myelination and Beyond View all 4 articles
Thinning of originally-existing, mature myelin represents a nondestructive form of myelin loss in the adult CNS
Provisionally accepted
Min Li Lin 
Wensheng Lin *- University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, United States
The main function of oligodendrocytes is to assemble and maintain myelin that wraps and insulates axons in the central nervous system (CNS). Traditionally, myelin structure, particularly its thickness, was believed to remain remarkably stable in adulthood (including early and middle adulthood, but not late adulthood or aging). However, emerging evidence reveals that the thickness of originally-existing, mature myelin (OEM) can undergo dynamic changes in the adult CNS. This overview highlights recent findings on the alteration of OEM thickness in the adult CNS, explores the underlying mechanisms, and proposes that progressive thinning of OEM represents a novel, nondestructive form of myelin loss in myelin disorders of the CNS.
Keywords: myelin, myelin thickness, myelin thinning, Myelin loss, myelin disorder, oligodendrocyte, pERK
Received: 23 Jan 2025; Accepted: 28 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lin and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Wensheng Lin, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, United States
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