= Oligodendrocyte
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>.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[Section 12.2, Glial Cells of the CNS and Myelin]{ref}
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.<Dynamic Modulation of Myelination in Response to Visual Stimuli Alters Optic Nerve Conduction Velocity by Ainhoa Etxeberria and others>[Results: myelin internodes and optic-nerve conduction]{ref}
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