Rinholm Project Group: Oligodendrocytes in health and disease
Project group leader
We study the interactions between oligodendrocytes and neurons in the healthy brain and their role in cell injury and repair in disease.
The white matter comprises nearly 50% of the human brain. It is composed of nerve cell axons wrapped in myelin, a specialized membrane formed by oligodendrocytes. Myelin is required for fast and reliable action potential propagation and long-term survival of neurons. Consequently, a loss of myelin can cause mental and physical handicap.
Our group is interested in the general properties of oligodendrocytes and their role in brain injury and repair in conditions such as stroke and dementia. We also study how lactate, which is produced during physical exercise, can influence the brain's ability for repair. We use a combination of in vivo mouse models, human brain organoids and organotypic mouse brain slices. Our methods include live confocal and multiphoton imaging, viral expression, RNA sequencing, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy.