Neuron
Volume 101, Issue 3, 6 February 2019, Pages 459-471.e5
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Article
Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells Become Regionally Diverse and Heterogeneous with Age

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.12.020Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) acquire ion channels with age

  • OPCs become functionally heterogeneous both between brain regions and with age

  • NMDARs disappear in non-myelinating regions but remain in actively myelinating areas

  • Heterogeneity in OPC ion channel density indicates different functional states

Summary

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes during CNS development, are the main proliferative cells in the adult brain. OPCs are conventionally considered a homogeneous population, particularly with respect to their electrophysiological properties, but this has been debated. We show, by using single-cell electrophysiological recordings, that OPCs start out as a homogeneous population but become functionally heterogeneous, varying both within and between brain regions and with age. These electrophysiological changes in OPCs correlate with the differentiation potential of OPCs; thus, they may underlie the differentiational differences in OPCs between regions and, likewise, differentiation failure with age.

Keywords

oligodendrocyte precursor cell
oligodendrocyte
myelin
differentiation
glutamate
neurotransmitter receptors
ion channels
glia
bioelectricity
electrophysiology

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