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I was interested in the role the myelin plays in quickening the pace at which an impulse moves through a neuron.  Because the rate at which signals move through the body seems to be an important factor in determining the overall robustness of a nervous system, I decided to look into the myelin a little bit more.

I found that demyelination is the underlying disorder for such diseases as multiple sclerosis. While researching online, I came across this website http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/demyelination.html.  In this website, it states that a demyelinated axon can transmit nerve impulses ten times slower than a myelinated axon.  In some cases, demyelinated axons can become re-myelinated.  However, due to the nature of demyelination and the tendency for scarring along the axon, the re-myelinated axons transmit signals at a slower pace than a normal myelinated axon. In extreme cases, demyelination also leads to degeneration of the axon.  So, it can be concluded that demyelination, although not always, can be an irreversible event with detrimental results.  Of course, there is a lot of information out there about demyelination and its ties to MS and other neurological disorders.