Oligodendrocytes , also known as oligodendroglia, are a type of neuroglia whose main functions are to provide support and insulation to axons within the central nervous system of jawed vertebrates. Their function is similar to that of Schwann cells, which perform the same task in the peripheral nervous system . Oligodendrocytes accomplish this by forming the myelin sheath around axons. Unlike Schwann cells, a single oligodendrocyte can extend its processes to cover around 50 axons, with each axon being wrapped in approximately 1 μm of myelin sheath. Furthermore, an oligodendrocyte can provide myelin segments for multiple adjacent axons.