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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
09:05
Generation of Oligodendrocytes and Oligodendrocyte-Conditioned Medium for Co-Culture Experiments
Published on: February 9, 2020
Voluntary exercise increases oligodendrogenesis in spinal cord.
W Krityakiarana1, A Espinosa-Jeffrey, C A Ghiani
1Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen, School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
The International Journal of Neuroscience
|April 9, 2010
Summary
Voluntary exercise promotes oligodendrocyte generation in the spinal cord. This suggests exercise may aid recovery from spinal cord injury.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Regenerative Medicine
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Exercise is known to boost hippocampal neurogenesis.
- The impact of exercise on spinal cord oligodendrocyte generation remains unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of voluntary exercise on oligodendrogenesis in the thoracic spinal cord of adult mice.
- To determine if exercise influences neural stem/progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation in the spinal cord.
Main Methods:
- Adult nestin-GFP transgenic mice underwent voluntary exercise for 7 and 14 days.
- Nestin-GFP expression was analyzed in the spinal cord's ependymal area, white matter, and gray matter.
- Expression of oligodendrocyte markers (transferrin, CNPase) was quantified.
Main Results:
- Voluntary exercise increased nestin-GFP expression around the ependymal area after 7 and 14 days.
- Seven days of exercise significantly elevated nestin-GFP expression in both white and gray matter.
- Markers for immature oligodendrocytes (transferrin, CNPase) were significantly increased after 7 days of exercise.
Conclusions:
- Voluntary exercise positively influences oligodendrogenesis in the intact spinal cord.
- Exercise may promote the generation of new oligodendrocytes in the spinal cord.
- These findings highlight the potential of exercise as a complementary therapy for spinal cord injury.
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