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.
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.