BIOSS
Centre for Biological Signalling Studies

Oligodendrocyte lineage and myelination are compromised in the gray matter of focal cortical dysplasia type IIa

Donkels C, Peters M, Fariña Núñez MT, Nakagawa JM, Kirsch M, Vlachos A, Scheiwe C, Schulze-Bonhage A, Prinz M, Beck J, Haas CA.

Epilepsia. 2020;61(1):171-184

Epilepsia.               online article

Here, we characterized the gray matter-associated myelination pathology in detail by in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy with markers for myelin, mature oligodendrocytes, and oligodendrocyte precursor cells in tissue sections of FCD IIa and control cortices. On the ultrastructural level, however, we found that the myelin sheaths of layer V axons are thinner in dysplastic specimens than in controls. In addition, the density of oligodendrocyte precursor cells and of mature oligodendrocytes was reduced. Finally, we show for the first time that oligodendrocyte precursor cells isolated from resected dysplastic cortex have a reduced proliferation capacity in comparison to controls.