The biology of oligodendrocytes /
"Traditionally, oligodendrocytes have been assumed to play a minor supporting role in the central nervous system and their importance has generally been overlooked. For the first time, this book provides a dedicated review of all of the major aspects of oligodendrocyte biology, including develo...
| Other Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge ; New York :
Cambridge University Press,
2010.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: | "Traditionally, oligodendrocytes have been assumed to play a minor supporting role in the central nervous system and their importance has generally been overlooked. For the first time, this book provides a dedicated review of all of the major aspects of oligodendrocyte biology, including development, organization, genetics, and immunobiology. Later chapters emphasize the importance of this underestimated cell to the mammalian central nervous system by exploring the role of myelin synthesis and maintenance in neural disease and repair. Particular attention is paid to multiple sclerosis (MS), arguably the prime example of an acquired demyelinating disease, with detailed examinations of the current concepts regarding demyelination, oligodendroglial damage, and remyelination in MS lesions"-- "Myelin in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) is formed by Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes respectively. The myelin formed by the two glial cell types electrically insulates the axons and restricts the generation of action potentials to the nodes of Ranvier, myelin-free regions separating the myelin segments, allowing for rapid propagation of actions potentials along the axons. While there are striking overall similarities in the mechanisms of myelination and the structure and molecular composition of PNS and CNS myelin, there are also important differences between the two glial cell types"-- |
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| Physical Description: | xiii, 289 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 202-277) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780521899659 (hardback) 0521899656 (hardback) |