(ol‵ĭ-gō-den'drŏ-sīt‵ )

[oligo- + dendro- + -ocyte]

A glial cell that is found most commonly in axon tracts and myelinates axons in the central nervous system just as Schwann cells myelinate axons in the peripheral nervous system. Oligodendrocytes are neuroectodermal cells that originate from different precursors in the neural tube than astrocytes; later, stem cells in the subependymal layer can continue to generate new oligodendrocytes. Mature oligodendrocytes wrap neighboring axons in myelin, and some oligodendrocytes can simultaneously wrap many axons. However, not all oligodendrocytes myelinate axons.

SYN: olfactory cell; oligodendroglia.

SEE: glial cell; illus.