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myelin sheath the sheath surrounding the axon of a myelinated nerve cell, consisting of concentric layers of myelin. In the peripheral nervous system it is formed by the plasma membrane of Schwann cells, and in the central nervous system it is formed by the plasma membrane of oligodendrocytes. It is interrupted at intervals along the length of the axon by gaps known as nodes of Ranvier. Myelin is an electrical insulator that serves to speed the conduction of nerve impulses (see saltatory conduction).
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