Nogo constitutes a family of neurite outgrowth inhibitors contributing to a failure of axonal regeneration in the adult central nervous system (CNS). Nogo‐A is expressed exclusively on oligodendrocytes where Nogo‐66 segment binds to Nogo receptor (NgR) expressed on neuronal axons. NgR signalling requires a coreceptor p75^NTR or TROY in combination with an adaptor LINGO‐1. To characterize the cell types expressing the NgR complex in the human CNS, we studied demyelinating lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS) brains by immunohistochemistry. TROY and LINGO‐1 were identified in subpopulations of reactive astrocytes, macrophages/microglia and neurones but not in oligodendrocytes. TROY was up‐regulated, whereas LINGO‐1 was reduced in MS brains by Western blot. These results suggest that the ternary complex of NgR/TROY/LINGO‐1 expressed on astrocytes, macrophages/microglia and neurones, by interacting with Nogo‐A on oligodendrocytes, might modulate glial–neuronal interactions in demyelinating lesions of MS.