What happens if oligodendrocytes are damaged?
Thus, neurotransmitter receptors play an important role in the normal life of oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, if oligodendrocytes become damaged and the myelin sheath is destroyed, the action potential is reduced in velocity or ceases altogether, leading to physical or mental disability.
What is the function of oligodendrocytes?
In the central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrocytes assemble myelin, a multilayered sheath of membrane, spirally wrapped around axonal segments and best known for its role in enabling fast saltatory impulse propagation1,2.
What is myelination?
Myelination refers to an increase in the fatty sheath surrounding neuronal processes and fibers that increases the efficiency of electrical transmission.
How are oligodendrocytes destroyed?
T cell- and antibody-mediated injuries typically cause simultaneous destruction of oligodendrocytes and myelin. Some of the oligodendrocytes may survive the initial inflammatory attack despite the destruction of their myelin sheaths.
How are oligodendrocytes damaged in MS?
In Multiple Sclerosis (MS), oligodendrocytes are damaged and myelin that normally insulates the axons of nerve cells is lost, a process known as demyelination. When nerve cells become demyelinated due to oligodendrocyte death they become dysfunctional.
How does oligodendrocytes make myelin sheath?
Oligodendrocytes do this by creating the myelin sheath, a white and shiny fatty substance, which is composed by 80% of lipid and 20% of protein. In order to do so, the oligodendrocyte extends parts of its membrane to the axon and twists around it thereby forming a wrap of myelin sheaths around each axon.
How do you produce more oligodendrocytes?
Dietary fat, exercise and myelin dynamics
- High-fat diet in combination with exercise training increases myelin protein expression.
- High-fat diet alone or in combination with exercise has the greatest effect on myelin-related protein expression.
Where are oligodendrocytes found?
the central nervous system
Oligodendrocyte, a type of neuroglia found in the central nervous system of invertebrates and vertebrates that functions to produce myelin, an insulating sheath on the axons of nerve fibres.
Why is myelination so important?
Myelin enables nerve cells to transmit information faster and allows for more complex brain processes. The myelination process is vitally important to healthy central nervous system functioning.
