Schwann cell

A glial cell of the peripheral nervous system that supports axons and forms myelin around many of them. Each myelinating Schwann cell wraps one segment of a single axon.

Myelin sheath: A multilayered membrane covering around an axon that speeds electrical impulse conduction. Schwann cells build this insulating covering around peripheral axons.
Peripheral nervous system: The nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord. Schwann cells are the principal glia associated with axons in this system.
Theodor Schwann: A German physiologist who helped establish cell theory and gave Schwann cells their name. Schwann cells were named after this early investigator of animal tissues.
Peripheral nerve injury: Damage to nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, often disrupting sensation or movement. Schwann cells organize the local response that can guide peripheral axon regrowth.
Oligodendrocyte: A central nervous system glial cell that can myelinate segments of multiple axons. Unlike a Schwann cell, one oligodendrocyte can myelinate several axons.
Saltatory conduction: The rapid propagation of nerve impulses by apparent jumps between gaps in a myelinated axon. Schwann-cell myelin enables impulses to travel between nodes of Ranvier.
Axon: The long projection of a neuron that carries electrical signals away from its cell body. Schwann cells support axons and wrap segments of many peripheral axons.
Rudolf Virchow: A German physician and pathologist who advanced cellular pathology and coined the term neuroglia. His concept of neuroglia helped frame the study of nerve-supporting cells.
Schwannoma: A usually benign tumor arising from Schwann cells, often affecting a peripheral nerve or cranial nerve. This tumor directly arises from the cell type described on this page.
Astrocyte: A star-shaped central nervous system glial cell that regulates neural environments and supports synapses. Astrocytes support central circuits but do not form peripheral nerve myelin.

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