Neuromed study identifies mGlu5 receptor role in myelin formation

Researchers from I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed in Pozzilli, together with Sapienza University of Rome, Link Campus University and Universidad Complutense de Madrid, published a study in the journal *Cells* describing a new mechanism in brain development. The work shows that the metabotropic glutamate receptor mGlu5 regulates the maturation of oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce the myelin sheath around nerve fibers. In mice genetically lacking mG5 (knock‑out), levels of myelin‑related proteins were reduced, especially during the second week after birth. Similar reductions were observed when the receptor’s activity was blocked pharmacologically in cell cultures, without affecting the proliferation of progenitor cells or causing toxicity. The findings highlight mGlu5 as a specific signal that drives immature cells to become myelin‑producing oligodendrocytes, offering insight into a critical step of cerebral development.