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Glial Cells: Neuroglia

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Neuroscience in the 21st Century

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Abstract

In the human brain glial cells are as abundant as neurons. The relative number of glial cells has increased with increasing complexity of the central nervous system (CNS) during evolution. In vertebrates three types of glial cells can be distinguished in the CNS, namely, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. In the peripheral nervous system glial cells are represented by Schwann cells, satellite glial cells, enteric glial cells (EGCs), and olfactory ensheathing cells. Astroglia are a heterogeneous cell population that fulfill different supportive and homeostatic tasks such as providing guiding structures during development, controlling homeostasis of the extracellular space, providing energy substrate for neurons, controlling blood flow, and modulating synaptic transmission. Oligodendrocytes in the central and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system form myelin and thereby enable a high conduction velocity within the axons. Microglial cells are the immune competent cells of the brain and are activated during any pathologic process. The activated microglial cells can release many factors which influence the pathologic process. Taken together brain function is only possible by a concerted action of neurons and glial cells.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cellular Neurosciences, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany

    Helmut Kettenmann

  2. Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China

    Helmut Kettenmann

  3. Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford, UK

    Alexei Verkhratsky

  4. Achucarro Centre for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain

    Alexei Verkhratsky

Authors
  1. Helmut Kettenmann
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  2. Alexei Verkhratsky
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Helmut Kettenmann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rockefeller University Lab. Neurobiology & Behaviour, New York, NY, USA

    Donald W. Pfaff

  2. National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), Rockville, MD, USA

    Nora D. Volkow

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    John Rubenstein

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Kettenmann, H., Verkhratsky, A. (2021). Glial Cells: Neuroglia. In: Pfaff, D.W., Volkow, N.D., Rubenstein, J. (eds) Neuroscience in the 21st Century. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6434-1_19-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6434-1_19-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6434-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6434-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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