Disease or Syndrome
demyelinating disease
Subclass of:
nervous system disorder
Definitions related to demyelinating diseases:
  • (demyelinating disorder) A broad group of disorders that affect the myelin sheaths that cover the neurons. Myelin sheathes cover neuronal axons in the central and peripheral nervous system and function to increase travelling impulse speeds. Disruption of this sheath impairs neuronal transmission and can result in disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barre syndrome, among others.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Diseases characterized by loss or dysfunction of myelin in the central or peripheral nervous system.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Myelin sheaths cover many nerve fibers in the central and peripheral nervous system; they accelerate axonal transmission of neural impulses. Disorders that affect myelin interrupt nerve transmission; symptoms may reflect deficits in any part of the nervous system.
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2025
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