Unraveling the role of oligodendrocytes and myelin in pain

Journal of Neurochemistry, 2025 · DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16206 · Published: August 4, 2024

Simple Explanation

Oligodendrocytes are cells in the central nervous system that produce myelin, which is crucial for quick transmission of nerve signals. This review explores how these cells and myelin contribute to pain, particularly neuropathic pain resulting from nerve injuries or diseases. Research indicates that damage to oligodendrocytes and myelin can lead to increased sensitivity to pain. Conversely, therapies aimed at protecting or restoring these cells may help alleviate chronic pain. The interplay between oligodendrocytes and pain involves complex mechanisms in both the spinal cord and the brain. Understanding these relationships could pave the way for new treatments targeting myelin biology to manage chronic pain effectively.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Rodent models and human postmortem tissue

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
Oligodendrocyte loss or dysfunction contributes to neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury, spinal cord injury, chemotherapy, and HIV infection.
2
Increasing endogenous oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) may be a compensatory response to repair damaged oligodendrocytes, and exogenous OPC transplantation shows promise in alleviating SCI-induced neuropathic pain and enhancing remyelination.
3
Oligodendrocyte apoptosis in brain regions such as the medial prefrontal cortex is linked to opioid-induced hyperalgesia, highlighting their role in central pain mechanisms.

Research Summary

Myelination, carried out by oligodendrocytes in the CNS, is critical for the efficient transmission of neural information. This review elucidates how the death of oligodendrocytes, demyelination, and dysmyelination, often resulting from diseases or injuries, disrupt signal transmission, leading to neuropathic pain conditions like hyperalgesia and allodynia. This review addresses various models of pain, such as SCI and peripheral nerve injury, where the behavior of oligodendrocytes correlates with pain outcomes. In most of the included studies, with the exception of Shi et al. (2016), where pain was associated with an increase in oligodendrocyte markers, pain was related to a decrease in oligodendrocyte-related gene expression or cell density This review highlights significant gaps in our understanding of how oligodendrocytes precisely affect various pain states. There is an urgent need for further research to elucidate the detailed mechanisms by which oligodendrocytes and myelin dynamics impact pain pathways.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Targeting

Targeting oligodendrocytes and myelination processes could offer new therapeutic strategies for chronic pain management.

OPC Transplantation

OPC transplantation may be a viable strategy for treating SCI and associated chronic neuropathic pain.

Gut Microbiota Modulation

Targeting the gut microbiota could be a therapeutic option for pain regulation by affecting myelination in the CNS.

Study Limitations

1
The involvement of oligodendrocytes in pain is still largely underexplored and warrants further investigation.
2
Only research on oligodendrocytes and myelin in the CNS has been included, whereas the role of myelin and myelin-generating Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system has not been assessed.
3
Discussion over the survival, long-term effects, and benefits of OPC transplantation persists

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