Fig. 4.

Schematic of the Oligovascular Signaling in Adult White Matter In the oligovascular niche, oligogenesis and angiogenesis might occur to maintain white matter homeostasis. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are thought to contribute to myelin maintenance and repair by generating new mature oligodendrocytes (OLGs). In addition, trophic coupling may also exist between cerebral endothelial cells and mature OLGs. Under diseased conditions such as stroke, multiple deleterious factors directly attack OLGs and OPCs, which are vulnerable to oxidative stress. Moreover, oxidative stress can disturb the trophic coupling between cerebral endothelial cells and OLGs/OPCs, resulting in further white matter damage.