News tagged with oligodendrocytes
Related topics: nerve cells , central nervous system , stem cells , brain cells
Oligodendrocyte
Oligodendrocytes (from Greek, meaning cells with a few branches), or oligodendroglia (Greek, few tree glue), are a type of brain cell. They are a variety of neuroglia. Their main function is the insulation of axons (the long projection of nerve cells) in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) of some vertebrates. (The same function is performed by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system). A single oligodendrocyte can extend its processes to 50 axons, wrapping around approximately 1 μm of myelin sheath around each axon; Schwann cells, on the other hand, can wrap around only 1 axon.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
After brain injury, new astrocytes play unexpected role in healing
The production of a certain kind of brain cell that had been considered an impediment to healing may actually be needed to staunch bleeding and promote repair after a stroke or head trauma, researchers at ...
Medical research
Apr 24, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
|
Blocking protein expression delays onset of multiple sclerosis in mice, study says
(Medical Xpress)—Blocking the expression of just one protein in the brain delays the onset of paralysis in mice with a form of multiple sclerosis, say researchers at the School of Medicine.
Medical research
May 10, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
