Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2026, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (8): 3551-3552.doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-25-00767

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Oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the substantia nigra: implications for Parkinson’s disease

Julia C. Fitzgerald, Friederike Pfeiffer*   

  1. Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (Fitzgerald JC)
    Institute for Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (Pfeiffer F)

  • Online:2026-08-18 Published:2026-04-25
  • Contact: Friederike Pfeiffer, PhD, friederike.pfeiffer@uni-tuebingen.de.

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Abstract: Current evidence for oligodendrocyte precursor cell involvement in Parkinson’s disease: Oligodendroglial cells comprise a large cell population in the substantia nigra (SN). We recently reported a stable portion of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in the SN pars compacta (SNpc) in a 1:1 ratio with dopaminergic neurons: 15% of cells in neonate and young mice, rising to 20% in aged mice. Moreover, this portion represents only 45% of all oligodendroglial cells in the SNpc and 54% of all oligodendroglial cells in the SN pars reticulata (SNpr) (Fitzgerald et al., 2025). The SN is a deeply located area of the midbrain and the site of dopaminergic degeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Recent advancement of single-cell transcriptomics revealed the involvement of nonneuronal cells in PD, with PD risk variants being strongly associated with oligodendroglia (reviewed by Salazar Campos et al., 2025).