Oligodendrocyte

Oligodendrocyte
: A type of cell in the central nervous system. The oligodendrocytes surround and insulate the long fibers (the axons) through which the nerves send their electrical messages. The term "oligodendrocyte" comes from the fact that through a microscope the cell's projections looked like the sparse branches of a tree. The word is from the Greek "oligo-", few or scant + "dendron", tree + "-cyte", cell.
* * *

* * *

oli·go·den·dro·cyte -'den-drə-.sīt n a glial cell resembling an astrocyte but smaller with few and slender processes having few branches

* * *

n.
one of the cells of the glia, responsible for producing the myelin sheaths of the neurones of the central nervous system and therefore equivalent to the Schwann cells of the peripheral nerves.

* * *

ol·i·go·den·dro·cyte (ol″ĭ-go-denґdro-sīt) [oligodendroglia + -cyte] a cell of the oligodendroglia.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Oligodendrocyte — Oligodendrocyte …   Wikipedia

  • oligodendrocyte — ● oligodendrocyte nom masculin Variété de cellules gliales de petites dimensions. (Dans la substance grise, les oligodendrocytes accompagnent les neurones et, dans la substance blanche, ils fabriquent la myélite.) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Oligodendrocyte — Un oligodendrocyte Réseau neural simple avec deux c …   Wikipédia en Français

  • oligodendrocyte — A cell that forms the myelin sheath (a layer that covers and protects nerve cells) in the brain and spinal cord. An oligodendrocyte is a type of glial cell …   English dictionary of cancer terms

  • Oligodendrocyte precursor cell — Oligodendrocyte precursor cells in nervous tissue cells precede oligodendrocytes, and may also be able to generate neurons and astrocytes. The principle function of oligodendrocytes is to provide support to axons and to produce the Myelin sheath …   Wikipedia

  • Oligodendrocyte progenitor — Neuron: Oligodendrocyte precursor cell NeuroLex ID nifext 169 Code TH H2.00.06.2.01007 Latin cellula oligodendrocytoprogenetrix …   Wikipedia

  • oligodendrocyte — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary, from olig + dendr + cyte Date: 1932 a glial cell resembling an astrocyte but smaller with few and slender processes having few branches …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • oligodendrocyte — Neuroglial cell of the central nervous system in vertebrates whose function is to myelinate CNS axons …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • oligodendrocyte — ol·i·go·den·dro·cyte (ŏl ĭ gō dĕnʹdrə sīt , ō lĭ ) n. One of the cells comprising the oligodendroglia. * * * …   Universalium

  • oligodendrocyte — noun any of the cells of the oligodendroglia in the nervous system …   Wiktionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”