Elsevier

Neuroscience

Volume 145, Issue 4, 14 April 2007, Pages 1426-1438
Neuroscience

Excitotoxicity, oxidative stress and DNA damage in relation to amino acid neurotransmission
Neurotransmitter receptors in the life and death of oligodendrocytes

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.08.070Get rights and content
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open access

Abstract

Oligodendrocytes are crucial to the function of the mammalian brain: they increase the action potential conduction speed for a given axon diameter and thus facilitate the rapid flow of information between different brain areas. The proliferation and differentiation of developing oligodendrocytes, and their myelination of axons, are partly controlled by neurotransmitters. In addition, in models of conditions like stroke, periventricular leukomalacia leading to cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, oligodendrocytes are damaged by glutamate and, contrary to dogma, it has recently been discovered that this damage is mediated in part by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. Mutations in oligodendrocyte neurotransmitter receptors or their interacting proteins may cause defects in CNS function. Here we review the roles of neurotransmitter receptors in the normal function, and malfunction in pathological conditions, of oligodendrocytes.

Key words

glutamate
NMDA
development
ischemia
cerebral palsy
multiple sclerosis

Abbreviations

ECl
chloride reversal potential
mGluR
metabotropic glutamate receptor
NMDA
N-methyl-d-aspartate

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