For efficient stroke recovery, the entire neurovascular unit must be repaired. A recent study underscores this concept by highlighting the importance of cellular crosstalk for white mater remodeling. In developing brains and in brains injured by hypoxia, interactions between oligodendrocyte precursors and endothelium play an essential role for physiological and compensatory angiogenesis. Further studies are warranted to build on these emerging findings in the oligovascular niche in order to identify novel therapeutic targets for stroke and other CNS diseases.
Keywords: Angiogenesis; cell-cell interaction; neurovascular unit; oligodendrocyte precursor cell; oligovascular niche; white matter.