title: The role of oligodendroglial dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: Healthy oligodendrocytes are crucial for neurons and abnormal functioning of these cells is involved in several neurodegenerative diseases. We will focus on oligodendroglial pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an adult-onset progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective motor neuron loss. Recent discoveries shed new light on the crucial role of oligodendrocytes in this fatal disease. We will first give an overview of the importance of good-functioning oligodendrocytes for neuronal health, in particular for motor neurons. Subsequently, we will discuss the recent data on oligodendroglial abnormalities in ALS. We conclude that oligodendrocytes should be considered as important contributors to motor neuron degeneration. As a consequence, oligodendrocytes are a promising new therapeutic target for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Research Institute for Neuroscience and Disease (LIND), B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annelies
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nonneman
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Robberecht
authors.forename: Ludo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Den Bosch
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: NG2 glial cell; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; monocarboxylate transporter; motor neuron; myelin basic protein; neurodegeneration; oligodendrocyte