Throughout our lifespan, new sensory experiences and learning continually shape our neuronal circuits to form new memories. Plasticity at the level of synapses has been recognized and studied for decades, but recent work has revealed an additional form of plasticity — affecting oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheaths they produce — that plays a crucial role in learning and memory. In this Review, we summarize recent work characterizing plasticity in the oligodendrocyte lineage following sensory experience and learning, the physiological and behavioural consequences of manipulating that plasticity, and the evidence for oligodendrocyte and myelin dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders with cognitive symptoms. We also discuss the limitations of existing approaches and the conceptual and technical advances that are needed to move forward this rapidly developing field.

在我们的一生中，新的感官体验和学习不断塑造我们的神经元回路，以形成新的记忆。突触水平的可塑性已经被认识和研究了几十年，但最近的工作揭示了另一种形式的可塑性——影响少突胶质细胞和它们产生的髓鞘——它在学习和记忆中起着至关重要的作用。在这篇综述中，我们总结了最近在感官体验和学习后表征少突胶质细胞谱系可塑性的工作，操纵该可塑性的生理和行为后果，以及具有认知症状的神经发育障碍中少突胶质细胞和髓鞘功能障碍的证据。