Oligodendrocyte lineage gene-1 expressed in oligodendrocytes may trigger the repair of neuronal myelin impairment, and play a crucial role in myelin repair. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, a transcription factor, is of great significance in premature infants with hypoxic-ischennic brain damage. There is little evidence of direct regulatory effects of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha on oligodendrocyte lineage gene-1. In this study, brain slices of Sprague-Dawley rats were cultured and subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation. Then, slices were transfected with hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha or oligodendrocyte lineage gene-1. The expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha and oligodendrocyte lineage gene-1 were significantly up-regulated in rat brains prior to transfection, as detected by immunohistochemical staining. Eight hours after transfection of slices with hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, oligodendrocyte lineage gene-1 expression was upregulated, and reached a peak 24 hours after transfection. Oligodendrocyte lineage gene-1 transfection induced no significant differences in hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha levels in rat brain tissues with oxygen-glucose deprivation. These experimental findings indicate that hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha can regulate oligodendrocyte lineage gene-1 expression in hypoxic brain tissue, thus repairing the neural impairment.