In: Anatomy and Physiology
Oligodendrocytes is responsible for myelination in CNS which includes brain and spinal cord .whereas in peripheral nervous system schwann cells is involved in myelination of neurons .
Talking about oligodendrocytes it also provides metabolic support to neurons by nourishing them . Myelination insulates the axon and in an myelinated axon there will be points where myelin will be absent this is called nodes of ranvier which helps in saltatory conduction. The importance of myelination is the rate of impulse transmission is speeded up . Thus myelinated neurons transmit impulse faster than unmyelinated neurons .
The structure of oligodendrocytes are they have a rounded nucleus surrounded by cytoplasm and with some short process , there are 2 types of oligodendrocytes one in the grey matter called satellite cells and one in white matter called myelin forming cells, one oligodendrocytes can provide many sheaths of myelin as many as for 60 neurons, whereas schwann cells in pns can provide myelination only to a single cell.
In disease like multiple sclerosis, myelin sheath is destroyed and oligodendrocytes are decreased.