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. 2021 Mar 13;473(5):775–783. doi: 10.1007/s00424-021-02544-z

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© The Author(s) 2021

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Fig. 3 — Two distinct pools of adult OPCs maintain life-long generation of myelinating oligodendrocytes. Slowly dividing NG2+ OPCs are responsible for self-renewal and maintaining a reservoir of GPR17+ COPs that are devoted to rapidly generating myelinating oligodendrocytes. Neuronal signalling involving P2X7R and GPR17, together with glutamate, noradrenaline and potassium, play an important role in regulating OPC function. There are marked decreases in both NG2+OPCs and GPR17+ COPs in the ageing brain, which results in impaired replacement of myelin lost through ageing, and is a key factor in the age-related decline in neuronal network plasticity and cognitive function