Yixi He1,2 · Zhenghao Li3 · Xiaoyu Shi2 · Jing Ding1,2 · Xin Wang1,21 Department of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
2 State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
3 Institute of Neuroscience, MOE Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, NMU, Shanghai 200433, China
Abstract
Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is one of the most prevalent pathologic processes affecting 5% of people over 50 years of age and contributing to 45% of dementia cases. Increasing evidence has demonstrated the pathological roles of chronic hypoperfusion, impaired cerebral vascular reactivity, and leakage of the blood–brain barrier in CSVD. However, the pathogenesis of CSVD remains elusive thus far, and no radical treatment has been developed. NG2 glia, also known as oligodendrocyte precursor cells, are the fourth type of glial cell in addition to astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes in the mammalian central nervous system. Many novel functions for NG2 glia in physiological and pathological states have recently been revealed. In this review, we discuss the role of NG2 glia in CSVD and the underlying mechanisms.
Keywords
NG2 glia; Oligodendrocyte precursor cell; Cerebral small vessel disease; White matter injury
