Table 1_Microglial handling of myelin debris and remyelination after ischaemic stroke: recognition, intracellular processing, lipid fate, and oligodendroglial repair.xlsx

Microglia provide a cellular link between debris clearance and white-matter repair through a sequence of functionally distinct processes encompassing selective debris recognition, internalization, intracellular degradation, lipid handling, inflammatory regulation, and oligodendroglial support.

Importantly, increased myelin uptake should not be equated with successful clearance, and clearance itself does not establish effective remyelination. This review prioritizes direct evidence from adult ischaemic stroke while using studies from related white-matter and demyelination models to clarify defined cellular or metabolic steps as mechanistic context rather than as stroke-equivalent evidence. Available evidence indicates that OPC recruitment and early lineage responses are frequently preserved after stroke, whereas terminal oligodendrocyte maturation and structurally competent myelin reconstruction remain limiting steps.