‘Much of the mammalian brain and spinal cord comprises axons wrapped by myelin sheaths, whose length determines speed of nerve conduction. Bechler et al. overturn the long-held view that myelin sheath-forming oligodendrocytes are all the same. Oligodendrocytes from different regions generate sheath length on microfibers and neurons that reflect their in vivo origin.’ These results may help to explain why the response of oligodendrocyte cells to signaling molecules can be quite different between the spinal cord and regions in the brain. This is an important consideration for strategies to repair myelin damage in diseases such as multiple sclerosis, as the oligodendrocytes in the brain and spinal cord might not both respond to treatments in the same way.
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