Brain injury in the premature infant, a problem of enormous importance, is associated with a
high risk of neurodevelopmental disability. The major type of injury involves cerebral white
matter and the principal cellular target is the developing oligodendrocyte. The specific phase
of the oligodendroglial lineage affected has been defined from study of both human brain
and experimental models. This premyelinating cell (pre-OL) is vulnerable because of a
series of maturation-dependent events. The pathogenesis of pre-OL injury relates to …