Steroids and the reversal of age-associated changes in myelination and remyelination

The myelin sheaths that surround all but the smallest diameter axons within the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) must maintain their structural integrity for many years. Like many tissues, however, this function is prone to the effects of ageing, and various structural anomalies become apparen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Progress in neurobiology 2003-09, Vol.71 (1), p.49-56
Main Authors: Ibanez, C, Shields, S A, El-Etr, M, Leonelli, E, Magnaghi, V, Li, W-W, Sim, F J, Baulieu, E-E, Melcangi, R C, Schumacher, M, Franklin, R J M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Animals
Central Nervous System - drug effects
Humans
Myelin Sheath - drug effects
Nerve Regeneration - drug effects
Progesterone - pharmacology
Steroids - pharmacology
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Summary:The myelin sheaths that surround all but the smallest diameter axons within the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) must maintain their structural integrity for many years. Like many tissues, however, this function is prone to the effects of ageing, and various structural anomalies become apparent in the aged CNS. Similarly, the regenerative process by which myelin sheaths, lost as a consequence of exposure to a demyelinating insult, are restored (remyelination) is also affected by age. As animals grow older, the efficiency of remyelination progressively declines. In this article, we review both phenomena and describe how both can be partially reversed by steroid hormones and their derivatives.
ISSN:0301-0082
DOI:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2003.09.002