Dual Role of Oligodendrocyte-Derived Myelin in Visual System Plasticity andRegeneration

Abstract

Oligodendrocytes are the cell type responsible to produce central nervous system (CNS) myelin sheaths. These sheaths consist of internodes of thin bilayers of oligodendrocyte plasma membrane concentrically wrapped around the axon, producing high-resistance/ low-capacitance regions, flanked by low-resistance/high-capacitance unwrapped segments, called nodes of Ranvier. This organization greatly increases action potential conduction velocity, being crucial for normal nervous system physiology [1].