Therapies currently approved for myelin disorders such as MS are focused on dampening initial myelin damage via immune-modulation. Whereas these drugs can reduce the frequency of clinical relapses, they do not prevent MS progression and clinical decline, likely due to the continued impairment in remyelination and consequent axonal dysfunction and loss. This highlights the importance of complementing immune modulation with neuroprotective and pro-remyelination therapies186,187. Clinical trials are underway assessing drugs targeting neuronal survival and OPC differentiation into remyelinating OLs. We put forward that therapeutic targeting of mature OLs to reduce their injury and dysfunction is a complementary strategy that may support neural health. However, several factors need to be taken into consideration to achieve successful therapeutic targeting of OLs in neurological disease.
