The Unexpected Cells Helping to Shape Young Brains - Neuroscience News

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Summary: During brain development, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) contribute to the neural pruning process, helping to shape the healthy development of the brain.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Assistant Professor Lucas Cheadle and colleagues have discovered that cells called oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) contribute to this pruning process.

The team suspected the cells might be busy eliminating synapses that the brain did not need.

“OPCs seem to be especially poised to regulate brain connections associated with experiences,” Cheadle says.

“Oligodendrocyte precursor cells engulf synapses during circuit remodeling in mice” by Yohan S.

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells engulf synapses during circuit remodeling in mice

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) give rise to myelinating oligodendrocytes throughout life, but the functions of OPCs are not limited to oligodendrogenesis

Here we show that OPCs contribute to thalamocortical presynapse elimination in the developing and adult mouse visual cortex

Our data suggest that OPCs may regulate synaptic connectivity in the brain independently of oligodendrogenesis