Fig. 1.

Cholesterol depletion alters OPC membrane integrity. OPCs were treated with 5 mM MβCD for 30 min at 37°C and were visualized by phase-contrast microscopy. A: Untreated cells exhibited normal, continuous processes extending from the cell body. B: Treatment with MβCD resulted in punctate, discontinuous processes (arrowheads). C: Posttreatment with 200 μM cholesterol–MβCD complexes reversed the effects of MβCD. Insets show magnified intact (A,C) or disrupted (B) processes.