Definition
oligodendroglia
noun
- A type of glial cell in the central nervous system that produces myelin, the insulating sheath around nerve fibers.
Usage: technical; neuroscience; also called oligodendrocyte
Examples
- Oligodendroglia are responsible for myelinating multiple axons in the brain and spinal cord.
- Damage to oligodendroglia can lead to demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
- Unlike Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system, each oligodendroglia cell can myelinate several different nerve fibers.
- Researchers studied how oligodendroglia develop and mature during early brain development.
- The loss of oligodendroglia in certain neurological conditions impairs nerve signal transmission.