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What does oligodendrocyte mean?
Listen to pronunciation. (AH-lih-goh-DEN-droh-site) A cell that forms the myelin sheath (a layer that covers and protects nerve cells) in the brain and spinal cord. An oligodendrocyte is a type of glial cell.
What are the two main differences between Schwann and oligodendrocyte cells?
The primary difference is their location. Oligodendrocytes myelinate the central nervous system, while Schwann cells myelinate the peripheral nervous system. Oligodendrocytes are also capable of myelinating multiple axons, while Schwann cells can only myelinate one axon per cell.
What is the structure of oligodendrocytes?
Oligodendrocytes are the glial cells having a cell body and cellular processes. As evident from the name, oligodendrocytes (oligo=a few) have a small number of processes coming out of the cell body. These cells have a small cell body that contains a spherical nucleus. Other organelles are sparse in these cells.
Where are oligodendrocytes found?
the central nervous system
oligodendrocyte, a type of neuroglia found in the central nervous system of invertebrates and vertebrates that functions to produce myelin, an insulating sheath on the axons of nerve fibres.
What is an Axolemma?
Medical Definition of axolemma : the plasma membrane of an axon For a short time after the passage of a nerve impulse along a nerve fiber, while the axolemma is still depolarized, a second stimulus, however strong, is unable to excite the nerve. —
Are Schwann cell in CNS or PNS?
Schwann cells are the main glial cell in the PNS and play an essential role in the survival and functions of neurons. In response to nerve injury, Schwann cells undergo rapid changes in phenotype [199] and their basal lamina provides a conduit for axon regrowth, a critical process for nerve regeneration.
Where are oligodendrocytes located in body?
Why are oligodendrocytes called oligodendrocytes?
Oligodendrocytes (from Greek ‘cells with a few branches’), or oligodendroglia, are a type of neuroglia whose main functions are to provide support and insulation to axons in the central nervous system of some vertebrates, equivalent to the function performed by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system.