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Myelin remodeling in vivo: A longitudinal study of targeted myelination and neuronal control of sparse myelination in mouse cortex

Subject Area Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
Term from 2019 to 2022
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 426715780
 
Final Report Year 2022

Final Report Abstract

Myelin enables fast impulse propagation and provides metabolic support of the underlying axons. The complex and diverse patterns of myelin, found along cortical axons, offer immense potential for plasticity that was shown to be associated with higher brain functions. The importance of the cortical myelin pattern stability becomes critical in demyelinating lesions, widespread in Multiple Sclerosis patients, where incomplete remyelination is associated with neurological deficits. We show that the loss of a single cortical oligodendrocyte (OL) triggers a remarkable local response during which newly matured OLs replace the original cell in a homeostatic fashion. These new OLs then restore around 70 percent of the original myelin sheaths, with a strong bias toward axons that originally were continuously myelinated. At the same time, axons in the surrounding area receive de novo myelination, mainly as patchy internodes, approximating the original amount of myelin in this cortical area. These findings show that in non-inflammatory conditions the system is capable to sense the loss of a single oligodendrocyte in adult cortex and illicit extensive remyelination. This results provide a key insight with implications for disabling demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system with poor remyelination efficiency.

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