Final answer:
The statement is true; oligodendrocytes are glial cells in the CNS responsible for myelinating multiple axon segments, thus being predominant in white matter.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that oligodendrocytes are the predominant type of glial cell in white matter is True. Oligodendrocytes are a critical type of glial cell found in the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and spinal cord. They insulate axons with a fatty substance called myelin, greatly increasing the speed at which electrical impulses (action potentials) are conducted along the nervous system's axons.
Unlike Schwann cells, which also produce myelin but in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and only surround a single axon segment, each oligodendrocyte can extend its processes to multiple axon segments within the CNS. This allows a single oligodendrocyte to myelinate several segments of different axons, thereby optimizing space and resources within the CNS. By providing myelin sheaths for axons, oligodendrocytes ensure efficient transmission of nerve impulses across the white matter of the CNS.