Oligodendrocyte

Oligodendrocyte
Oligodendrocytes form the electrical insulation around the axons of CNS nerve cells.
Details
Location	Central nervous system
Identifiers
Latin	oligodendrocytus
MeSH	D009836
TH	H2.00.06.2.00003, H2.00.06.2.01018
FMA	83665 54540, 83665
Anatomical terms of microanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

Oligodendrocytes (from Greek 'cells with a few branches'), also known as oligodendroglia, are a type of neuroglia whose main functions are to provide support and insulation to axons within the central nervous system (CNS) of jawed vertebrates. Their function is similar to that of Schwann cells, which perform the same task in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Oligodendrocytes accomplish this by forming the myelin sheath around axons.^[1] Unlike Schwann cells, a single oligodendrocyte can extend its processes to cover around 50 axons,^[2] with each axon being wrapped in approximately 1 μm of myelin sheath. Furthermore, an oligodendrocyte can provide myelin segments for multiple adjacent axons.^[1]

Oligodendrocytes are exclusively found in the CNS, which comprises the brain and spinal cord. Initially, it was originally thought that these cells were produced in the ventral neural tube, the embryonic precursor to the CNS. However, recent research suggests that oligodendrocytes originate from the ventral ventricular zone of the embryonic spinal cord, with some potential concentrations in the forebrain.^[3] Notably, oligodendrocytes are the last type of cell to be generated in the CNS.^[4] Oligodendrocytes were discovered by Pío del Río Hortega.^[5][6]