A recent study published in The Journal of Neuroscience highlights the successful collaboration between the Normandie and Bordeaux nodes of France-BioImaging. Researchers from UMR INSERM 1245 (Rouen), in partnership with the Rouen University Hospital, UMR INSERM 1237 (Caen), the Institut des Neurosciences des Saints-Pères (Paris), the PRIMACEN imaging platform (Rouen) and the Bordeaux Imaging Center (BIC), investigated the role of the endothelial NMDA receptor in the positioning and differentiation of cortical oligodendrocytes.

Using a conditional gene knockout model, the team demonstrated that the absence of this endothelial receptor leads to impaired myelination during development. These defects include reduced myelin sheath thickness and an increased number of axonal mitochondria, as observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) performed at the BIC. For TEM, the project received support from France-BioImaging through the Euro-BioImaging user access portal.

Importantly, these structural alterations were associated with long-lasting motor deficits in adult mice. The findings provide new insights into how disruptions in oligodendrocyte-vascular interactions contribute to white matter lesions associated with prematurity, which in severe cases can lead to cerebral palsy.

A: 3D model visualizing oligodendrocyte precursors (green) migrating along cortical vessels (red) in 2-day-old mice. B: Electron microscopy images of the corpus callosum of wild-type (left) and endothelial NMDA receptor knockout mice (right) at 15 postnatal days. Receptor knockout results in reduced myelin sheath thickness (arrowheads) and increased number of axonal mitochondria (arrows). C: Impairments of the myelination process are associated with motor disorders persisting in young adult mice (P45).

This collaboration illustrates how complementary expertise across France-BioImaging nodes can advance the understanding of complex neurodevelopmental mechanisms.

Access their article here: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/45/43/e0199252025