A sugar or carbohydrate compound found in brain tissue, particularly in the development and function of nerve cell membranes.
From Latin cerebrum (brain) + galactose (a simple sugar, from Greek gala meaning milk, because it was first identified in lactose). This technical term combines anatomical and biochemical roots.
Galactose is one of the components of galactolipids, which are essential fatty-sugar molecules in myelin—the insulation around nerve fibers—so without proper cerebrogalactose metabolism, brain development can be severely impaired.
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