Astrocytes promote myelination in response to electrical impulses
Open accessAbstract
Myelin, the insulating layers of membrane wrapped around axons by oligodendrocytes, is essential for normal impulse conduction. It forms during late stages of fetal development but continues into early adult life. Myelination correlates with cognitive development and can be regulated by impulse activity through unknown molecular mechanisms. Astrocytes do not form myelin, but these nonneuronal cells can promote myelination in ways that are not understood. Here, we identify a link between myelination, astrocytes, and electrical impulse activity in axons that is mediated by the cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). These findings show that LIF is released by astrocytes in response to ATP liberated from axons firing action potentials, and LIF promotes myelination by mature oligodendrocytes. This activity-dependent mechanism promoting myelination could regulate myelination according to functional activity or environmental experience and may offer new approaches to treating demyelinating diseases.
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Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence myelination.
“Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors have been shown to influence myelination. For example, recent studies have shown that electrical activity drives myelination (Gibson et al., 2014; Ishibashi et al., 2006; Wake et al., 2011) and that synaptogenesis and myelination are linked.”
From Down Syndrome Developmental Brain Transcriptome Reveals Defective Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Myelination (2016) · cites this paper as Ishibashi et al., 2006
Electrical activity drives myelination.
“For example, recent studies have shown that electrical activity drives myelination (Gibson et al., 2014; Ishibashi et al., 2006; Wake et al., 2011) and that synaptogenesis and myelination are linked.”
From Down Syndrome Developmental Brain Transcriptome Reveals Defective Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Myelination (2016) · cites this paper as Ishibashi et al., 2006
Synaptogenesis and myelination are linked.
“For example, recent studies have shown that electrical activity drives myelination (Gibson et al., 2014; Ishibashi et al., 2006; Wake et al., 2011) and that synaptogenesis and myelination are linked.”
From Down Syndrome Developmental Brain Transcriptome Reveals Defective Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Myelination (2016) · cites this paper as Ishibashi et al., 2006
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- Authors
- Ishibashi, T., Dakin, K. A., Stevens, B., Lee, P. R., Kozlov, S. V., Stewart, C. L., & Fields, R. D.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- National Cancer Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Fields, R. Douglas
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2006-03
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 823-832
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC1474838
- OpenAlex
- W2095040041
- Cited by
- 689
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 43 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 50 · 2014: 37 · 2013: 38 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 10.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Keywords
- astrocytes, myelination, oligodendrocytes, leukemia inhibitory factor, action potential, ATP release, activity-dependent myelination, demyelinating disease, axons, cytokines
- MeSH terms
- Action Potentials, Adenosine, Adenosine Triphosphate, Anesthetics, Local, Animals, Antibodies, Astrocytes, Axons, Azo Compounds, Cell Communication, Cell Count, Cells, Cultured, Cerebral Cortex, DNA-Binding Proteins, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Drug Interactions, Electric Stimulation, Embryo, Mammalian, Myelin Basic Protein, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Ganglia, Spinal, Immunohistochemistry, Models, Biological, Myelin Proteins, Naphthalenes, Neurons, Oligodendroglia, RNA, Messenger, Stem Cells, Tetrodotoxin, Thionucleotides, Time Factors, Blotting, Western, Interleukin-6, Gene Expression, Coculture Techniques, Myelin-Associated Glycoprotein, O Antigens, Adenosine-5'-(N-ethylcarboxamide), Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Drosophila Proteins, Mice, Rats, Leukemia Inhibitory Factor, Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein
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