Myelinating Cells in the Central Nervous System—Development, Aging, and Disease

Abstract

Many neurological diseases are caused by myelin deficiencies, which can be the result of both genetic and environmental factors. The myelin forming cell, oligodendrocyte (OL), is a major target for the known causes of white matter diseases. During development, oligodendrocytes pass through a series of cell phenotypes from undifferentiated stem cells to mature myelin-forming cells. The general idea that there might be different subclasses of oligodendrocyte derived from different precursor subtypes is an area of active debate. Can cells that are born of progenitors in the different parts of the embryo, under the influence of different positional signals and expressing different sets of patterning genes, ever converge on precisely the same phenotypic endpoint? The following sections will review literature about controversy over oligodendrocyte origins and degenerative process resulting in demyelination in the postnatal aging brain and Alzheimer's disease.