Oligodendroglia heterogeneity in the human central nervous system

It is the centenary of the discovery of oligodendrocytes and we are increasingly aware of their importance in the functioning of the brain in development, adult learning, normal ageing and in disease across the life course, even in those diseases classically thought of as neuronal. This has sparked more interest in oligodendroglia for potential therapeutics for many neurodegenerative/neurodevelopmental diseases due to their more tractable nature as a renewable cell in the central nervous system. However, oligodendroglia are not all the same. Even from the first description, differences in morphology were described between the cells. With advancing techniques to describe these differences in human tissue, the complexity of oligodendroglia is being discovered, indicating apparent functional differences which may be of critical importance in determining vulnerability and response to disease, and targeting of potential therapeutics. It is timely to review the progress we have made in discovering and understanding oligodendroglial heterogeneity in health and neuropathology.