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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Progenitor-derived Oligodendrocyte Culture System from Human Fetal Brain
Published on: December 20, 2012
Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells Become Regionally Diverse and Heterogeneous with Age
Sonia Olivia Spitzer1, Sergey Sitnikov1, Yasmine Kamen1
1Wellcome - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Abstract:
Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes during CNS development, are the main proliferative cells in the adult brain. OPCs are conventionally considered a homogeneous population, particularly with respect to their electrophysiological properties, but this has been debated. We show, by using single-cell electrophysiological recordings, that OPCs start out as a homogeneous population but become functionally heterogeneous, varying both within and between brain regions and with age. These electrophysiological changes in OPCs correlate with the differentiation potential of OPCs; thus, they may underlie the differentiational differences in OPCs between regions and, likewise, differentiation failure with age.
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