An oligodendrocyte is a glial cell that forms myelin around axons in the central nervous system. Different processes from one oligodendrocyte can wrap separate segments of several axons. The insulated segments alternate with nodes of Ranvier, allowing saltatory conduction.[ref]
Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others. Section 12.2, Glial Cells of the CNS and Myelin
This branching arrangement differs from the one myelinated segment made by a peripheral Schwann cell. Insulation is part of circuit function: changes to the number or geometry of sheaths can alter when signals arrive. Experiments manipulating visual experience in mice linked altered oligodendrocyte-generated sheath geometry to changes in optic nerve conduction.[ref]
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