Revised: Your Myelination is Slower than My Myelination; I Know You Are But What Am I?

I'm sure we have all noticed that young adults have a knack for picking up on physical activities quicker than say one of their parents, but why is this the case? A research team of neuroscientists at the National Institute of Health have asked this same question and recently released some of their findings. A process called myelination appears to be the key factor that regulates how fast someone can pick up on a coordinated motion. Myelin is a fatty substance that creates a sheath around axons to act as an insulator. Axons are like cables that transmit neuronal signals throughout the body. There are millions of axons present and they lie close in proximity to one another, therefore, without proper insulation two or more axons can cross and cause a discontinuity, which will result in a less coordinated movement. The amount of myelin present on a neuron pathway is directly proportional to the amount the pathway is used. Therefore, the cliche saying "Practice makes perfect" is correct because the more times a pathway is used affects how much myelin is present along the axons. More myelin present on the axons translates into a quicker and more efficient transmission of action potentials. The quicker an action potential can arrive at its destination equates to a more coordinated movement. However, age plays a role in how quickly myelination occurs. Myelination peaks in our early twenties and significantly diminishes there after. Therefore, it is much easier for a teenager or young adult to learn a new activity than one of their parents. However, that is not to say that it is impossible for, "old dogs to learn new tricks", it just takes more effort on their part before they can master it.