Experimental platforms for assessing white matter pathophysiology in stroke

Abstract

This chapter aims at summarizing current knowledge on experimental systems for analyzing the role of white matter injury relevant to stroke. In this chapter, we will provide a broad but brief survey of existing models at the cell, tissue, and whole-animal levels. Experimental approaches have recently allowed a better understanding of the molecular and cellular pathways underlying oligodendrocyte and oligodendrocyte precursor cell damage and demyelination. Since white matter damage is a clinically important part of stroke, a systematic utilization of these cell/ tissue/whole-animal platforms related to white matter pathophysiology may eventually lead us to discover new targets for treating stroke.