Versatile and automated workflow for the analysis of oligodendroglial calcium signals.

Although intracellular Ca signals of oligodendroglia, the myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system, regulate vital cellular processes including myelination, few studies on oligodendroglia Ca signal dynamics have been carried out and existing software solutions are not adapted to the analysis of the complex Ca signal characteristics of these cells. Here, we provide a comprehensive solution to analyze oligodendroglia Ca imaging data at the population and single-cell levels. We describe a new analytical pipeline containing two free, open source and cross-platform software programs, Occam and post-prOccam, that enable the fully automated analysis of one- and two-photon Ca imaging datasets from oligodendroglia obtained by either ex vivo or in vivo Ca imaging techniques.

Multiple sclerosis iPS-derived oligodendroglia conserve their properties to functionally interact with axons and glia in vivo.

Remyelination failure in multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with a migration/differentiation block of oligodendroglia. The reason for this block is highly debated. It could result from disease-related extrinsic or intrinsic regulators in oligodendroglial biology.

Optogenetics to Interrogate Neuron-Glia Interactions in Pups and Adults.

In just over 10 years, the use of optogenetic technologies in neuroscience has become widespread, having today a tremendous impact on our understanding of brain function. An extensive number of studies have implemented a variety of tools allowing for the manipulation of neurons with light, including light-activated ion channels or G protein-coupled receptors, among other innovations. In this context, the proper calibration of photostimulation in vivo remains crucial to dissect brain circuitry or investigate the effect of neuronal activity on specific subpopulations of neurons and glia.

Optogenetic Approach to Study Neuron-Oligodendroglia Interactions in Mouse Pups.

Optogenetic and pharmacogenetic techniques have been effective to analyze the role of neuronal activity in controlling oligodendroglia lineage cells in behaving juvenile and adult mice. This kind of studies is also of high interest during early postnatal (PN) development since important changes in oligodendroglia dynamics occur during the first two PN weeks. Yet, neuronal manipulation is difficult to implement at an early age because high-level, specific protein expression is less reliable in neonatal mice.