How calcium-driven myelin changes affect learning
Does Learning Require Calcium-Dependent Myelin Remodeling?
Researchers are looking at whether calcium-controlled changes in the brain's myelin help adults learn new motor skills.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11164757 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project looks at how myelin — the fatty insulation around nerve fibers — changes when animals learn new movements and whether those changes help learning. The team will use mice, advanced imaging, and genetic tools to watch myelin sheaths in the motor cortex shorten during learning and form new sheaths afterward. They will specifically alter calcium signaling inside oligodendrocytes to see if blocking those signals stops sheath remodeling and changes learning performance. Results aim to reveal molecular steps that could be targeted to protect or rebuild myelin in human disease.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with myelin-related conditions such as multiple sclerosis would be the most likely future candidates to benefit from therapies based on these findings, though the current project does not enroll patients.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate treatment or those with conditions unrelated to nerve insulation, such as primary muscle disorders, are unlikely to benefit directly from this basic laboratory research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify ways to protect or rebuild myelin and improve learning or recovery in conditions like multiple sclerosis.
How similar studies have performed: Previous animal studies, including work by this team, have shown that myelin remodels during learning, but directly linking oligodendrocyte calcium signaling to those changes and to learning is a new step.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zuchero, John B — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Zuchero, John B
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.