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Manipulating Neuronal Activity in the Developing Zebrafish Spinal Cord to Investigate Adaptive Myelination

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Oligodendrocytes

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1936))

Abstract

In the central nervous system, oligodendrocyte-lineage cells and myelination can adapt to physiological brain activity. Since myelin can in turn regulate neuronal function, such “adaptive” myelination has been proposed as a form of nervous system plasticity, implicated in learning and cognition. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying adaptive myelination and its functional consequences remain to be fully defined, partly because it remains challenging to manipulate activity and monitor myelination over time in vivo at single-cell resolution, in a model that would also allow examination of the functional output of individual neurons and circuits. Here, we describe a workflow to manipulate neuronal activity and to assess oligodendrocyte-lineage cell dynamics and myelination in larval zebrafish, a vertebrate animal model that is ideal for live imaging and amenable to genetic discovery, and that has well-characterized neuronal circuits with myelinated axons.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Jill M. Williamson, David A. Lyons & Rafael G. Almeida

Authors
  1. Jill M. Williamson
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  2. David A. Lyons
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  3. Rafael G. Almeida
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jill M. Williamson or Rafael G. Almeida .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    David A. Lyons

  2. Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Linde Kegel

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Williamson, J.M., Lyons, D.A., Almeida, R.G. (2019). Manipulating Neuronal Activity in the Developing Zebrafish Spinal Cord to Investigate Adaptive Myelination. In: Lyons, D., Kegel, L. (eds) Oligodendrocytes. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1936. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9072-6_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9072-6_12

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-9070-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-9072-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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