Oligodendrocyte

Oligodendrocytes (from Greek 'cells with a few branches'), also known as oligodendroglia, are a type of neuroglia whose main function is to provide the myelin sheath to neuronal axons in the central nervous system (CNS). Myelination gives metabolic support to, and insulates the axons of most vertebrates. A single oligodendrocyte can extend its processes to cover up to 40 axons, that can include multiple adjacent axons. The myelin sheath is segmented along the axon's length at gaps known as the nodes of Ranvier. In the peripheral nervous system the myelination of axons is carried out by Schwann cells.

Oligodendrocytes are found exclusively in the CNS, which comprises the brain and spinal cord. They are the most widespread cell lineage, including oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, pre-myelinating cells, and mature myelinating oligodendrocytes in the CNS white matter. Non-myelinating oligodendrocytes are found in the grey matter surrounding and lying next to neuronal cell bodies. They are known as neuronal satellite cells, and their presence is not understood.

It was once thought that oligodendrocytes were produced in the ventral neural tube, the embryonic precursor to the CNS. Studies have suggested that they originate from the ventral ventricular zone of the embryonic spinal cord, with some potential concentrations in the forebrain. Oligodendrocytes are the last type of cell to be generated in the CNS. Oligodendrocytes were discovered by Pío del Río Hortega.