Myelin: more than just an insulator

Abstract

[EN] Oligodendrocytes build up the myelin sheath that insulates axons and speeds up action potential propagation. Moreover, oligodendroglia also regulates the ionic environment and fuels axons with metabolites to meet their energy demands. In this review, I discuss the mechanisms by which oligodendrocytes and myelin are metabolically coupled to axons, and how they adjust metabolic support to spiking activity. In sum, the major goal of this review is to have a better insight into how axons rely on their myelinating partners for fulfilling energy demands. I propose that this axon-to-myelin interaction can be critical to understand axonal and neuronal damage in neurodegenerative and demyelinating diseases, as well as connectivity alterations in neuropsychiatric disorders.