Adolescence and Developmental Psychology Practice Test

Myelination is the process of forming a myelin sheath around axons. This insulation is created by glial cells—oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system. The myelin sheath speeds up signal transmission along the axon by allowing impulses to jump between gaps called nodes of Ranvier, a mode known as saltatory conduction. Myelination continues into adolescence, improving the speed and efficiency of neural communication. It is not about strengthening synapses through practice, growing dendrites, or pruning neural connections.