 |
|
Glial Cells Under Physiologic and Pathologic Conditions
Pascal Kurosinski, Dipl Biol;
Jürgen Götz, PhD
Arch Neurol. 2002;59:1524-1528.
Glial cells have long been considered to play roles in the nervous system
that are unexciting compared with those of neurons. They provide neurons with
nutrients, guide migrating neurons and their precursors during development,
and dispose of the brain's "waste." Recent evidence, however, suggests that
glial cells play more sophisticated, neuronlike roles. They integrate neuronal
input, modulate synaptic activity, and process signals related to learning
and memory. These findings have significant implications for humans with neurodegenerative
diseases. In addition to activation on nervous system injury and during neuronal
degeneration, glial cells also degenerate in several neurodegenerative diseases.
Therefore, glial cell loss may contribute to the impairment of learning and
memory. Therapeutic approaches to combat human neurodegenerative diseases
thus need to restore the function of both neurons and glial cells.
From the Division of Psychiatry Research, University of Zurich, Zurich,
Switzerland.
|
