Schwann cells (shwahn) are the cells that wrap around the axons of peripheral nerves to form the myelin sheath, the insulation that lets nerve signals travel quickly. Several forms of CMT, including CMT1A and HNPP, arise from mutations that disrupt the instructions Schwann cells use to build peripheral nerve myelin.
A Name That Does Too Much Work
Jean-Martin Charcot's name appears throughout medicine, but nowhere does it create more confusion than in the foot. Learn why the CMT foot and Charcot neuroarthropathy, also known as Charcot foot, share a name yet differ in how they develop, appear, and are managed.
