Oligodendrocytes are found in the central nervous system which comprises the brain and spinal cord. Their main functions are to provide support by creating myelin sheaths, the lengths of which directly determine axonal conduction velocity. Demyelination is the loss of the myelin sheath insulating the nerves, and is the hallmark of some neurodegenerative autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis.
Aligned Mimetix fibres
The study showed that oligodendrocytes in neuron free culture conditions can form myelin sheaths without molecular instructions from axons and have the ability to sense diameter, creating longer myelin sheath lengths on larger diameter fibres. Furthermore, the study demonstrated for the first time that oligodendrocyte precursor cells isolated from different regions of the central nervous system have intrinsic differences that dictate the relative length of sheath formed that reflect their in vivo origin.
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