Another example of a synthesis reaction is the formation of sodium chloride (table salt). Because of the very high reactivities of sodium metal and chlorine gas, this reaction releases a tremendous amount of heat and light energy.
Schwann cells make myelin in the peripheral nervous system (PNS: nerves) and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS: brain and spinal cord). In the PNS, one Schwann cell forms a single myelin sheath (Figure 1A).
In the central nervous system, the analogous structures are known as tracts. Neurons are sometimes called nerve cells, though this term is potentially misleading since many neurons do not form nerves, and nerves also include non-neuronal Schwann cells that coat the axons in myelin. Each nerve is a cordlike structure containing bundles of axons.