Oligodendrocyte Dysfunction in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives.

ABSTRACT: Myelin is the lipid-rich structure formed by oligodendrocytes (OLs) that wraps the axons in multilayered sheaths, assuring protection, efficient saltatory signal conduction and metabolic support to neurons. In the last few years, the impact of OL dysfunction and myelin damage has progressively received more attention and is now considered to be a major contributing factor to neurodegeneration in several neurological diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Upon OL injury, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) of adult nervous tissue sustain the generation of new OLs for myelin reconstitution, but this spontaneous regeneration process fails to successfully counteract myelin damage. Of note, the functions of OPCs exceed the formation and repair of myelin, and also involve th

SUBMITTER: Raffaele S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8000560 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature