Study complex interactions between glial cells, peripheral immune cells, and neurons that trigger various nervous system diseases.
Find out what glial cells are, what roles they play in your brain and nervous system, and which diseases are linked to glial cells.
Neural stem cells have the capability to transform into glial cells or neurons. Oligodendrocytes used in treatment of TM and astrocytes are examples of glial…
Innovative Collaborative Research Applied to Problems of Brain Health and Disease
Researchers have found that the star-shape glial cells that act as the brain's "motherboard" also connect different neuronal circuits in various regions of the brain. The research introduces a new framework for making sense of brain communications, aiding our understanding of the diseases and disorders that impact the brain.
OJAI, CA—Glial cells are promising targets for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain
Researchers discover exosomes stimulate neurons on three fundamental levels.
Your guide to the most essential developments in life sciences.
Numerous viruses use specialized surface molecules called fusogens to enter host cells. Many of these viruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can infect...
The glial cells of the nervous system have been eclipsed in importance by neurons for decades. But glia are turning out to be central to many neurological…
The first thing they say is “Whatever you do, do not Google for information about your tumour.”
Glial cells are non-neuronal cells found within the brain and the rest of the nervous system. There are approximately 60 billion glia to 16 billion neurons within the cortex, but only 16 billion glia to 69 billion neurons in the cerebellum.
Interactions between central glial cells and neurons in the pain circuitry are critical contributors to the pathogenesis of chronic pain. In the central ne
In this survey text, directed at those not majoring in biology, we dispel the assumption that a little learning is a dangerous thing. We hope that by skimming the surface of a very deep subject, biology, we may inspire you to drink more deeply and make more informed choices relating to your health, the environment, politics, and the greatest subject that are all of us are entwined in, life itself.
Biology, Animal Structure and Function, The Nervous System, Neurons and Glial Cells
Graphic of a neuron with various parts labeled: dendrite, cell body, nucleus, axon hillock, myelinated axon, glial cells, node of Ranvier, and terminal button.
The Institute for Glial Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio will study glial cells in diseases affecting the nervous system.
Scientists have successfully transformed non-neuronal cells, known as glial cells, into functional neurons. This process, called direct neuronal reprogramming, has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of neurological disorders. By unlocking the epigenetic puzzle, researchers have identified a key protein, YingYang1, that plays a crucial role in this transformation. This discovery could lead to new therapies for conditions like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
transmission at a cholinergic synapse. Acetylcholine directly opens ion channels in the plasma membrane of the postsynaptic neuron.
Astrocytes are heterogeneous glial cells of the central nervous system1–3. However, the physiological relevance of astrocyte diversity for neural circuits and behaviour remains unclear. Here we show that a specific population of astrocytes in the central striatum expresses μ-crystallin (encoded by Crym in mice and CRYM in humans) that is associated with several human diseases, including neuropsychiatric disorders4–7. In adult mice, reducing the levels of μ-crystallin in striatal astrocytes through CRISPR–Cas9-mediated knockout of Crym resulted in perseverative behaviours, increased fast synaptic excitation in medium spiny neurons and dysfunctional excitatory–inhibitory synaptic balance. Increased perseveration stemmed from the loss of astrocyte-gated control of neurotransmitter release from presynaptic terminals of orbitofrontal cortex–striatum projections. We found that perseveration could be remedied using presynaptic inhibitory chemogenetics8, and that this treatment also corrected the synaptic deficits. Together, our findings reveal converging molecular, synaptic, circuit and behavioural mechanisms by which a molecularly defined and allocated population of striatal astrocytes gates perseveration phenotypes that accompany neuropsychiatric disorders9–12. Our data show that Crym-positive striatal astrocytes have key biological functions within the central nervous system, and uncover astrocyte–neuron interaction mechanisms that could be targeted in treatments for perseveration. In mice, a population of astrocytes in the central striatum, characterized by expression of μ-crystallin, has a role in perseveration phenotypes that are often associated with human neuropsychiatric disorders.
