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the cylindrical covering on the axons of some neurons; it consists of concentric layers of myelin, formed in the peripheral nervous system by the plasma membrane of Schwann cells, and in the central nervous system by oligodendrocytes. It is interrupted at intervals along its length by gaps known as nodes of Ranvier. Myelin is an electrical insulator that serves to speed the conduction of nerve impulses. See also myelinated nerve fibers, under fiber. Called also medullary s.Medical dictionary. 2011.