title: Dynamics of oligodendrocyte generation and myelination in the human brain.
abstract: The myelination of axons by oligodendrocytes has been suggested to be modulated by experience, which could mediate neural plasticity by optimizing the performance of the circuitry. We have assessed the dynamics of oligodendrocyte generation and myelination in the human brain. The number of oligodendrocytes in the corpus callosum is established in childhood and remains stable after that. Analysis of the integration of nuclear bomb test-derived (14)C revealed that myelin is exchanged at a high rate, whereas the oligodendrocyte population in white matter is remarkably stable in humans, with an annual exchange of 1/300 oligodendrocytes. We conclude that oligodendrocyte turnover contributes minimally to myelin modulation in human white matter and that this instead may be carried out by mature oligodendrocytes, which may facilitate rapid neural plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maggie S Y
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zdunek
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.affiliation: Institut Camille Jordan, CNRS UMR 5208, University of Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ion Physics, Uppsala University, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mehran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salehpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Forensic Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kanar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alkass
authors.affiliation: NHLBI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Shira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perl
authors.affiliation: NHLBI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tisdale
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ion Physics, Uppsala University, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Possnert
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lou
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brundin
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Druid
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: jonas.frisen@ki.se.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frisén
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D054043:Nuclear Weapons; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D066127:White Matter / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes