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Neuroscience

Glia — more than just brain glue

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Glia make up most of the cells in the brain, yet until recently they were believed to have only a passive, supporting role. It is now becoming increasingly clear that these cells have other functions: they make crucial contributions to the formation, operation and adaptation of neural circuitry.

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Figure 1: Glia–neuron interactions.
Figure 2: An astrocyte in action.
Figure 3: A tripartite synapse.

Further reading

  1. Allen, N. J. & Barres, B. A. Signaling between glia and neurons: focus on synaptic plasticity. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 15, 542–548 (2005).

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  2. Barres, B. A. The mystery and magic of glia: a perspective on their roles in health and disease. Neuron 60, 430–440 (2008).

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  3. Freeman, M. R. & Doherty, J. Glial cell biology in Drosophila and vertebrates. Trends Neurosci. 29, 82–90 (2006).

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  4. Haydon, P. G. & Carmignoto, G. Astrocyte control of synaptic transmission and neurovascular coupling. Physiol. Rev. 86, 1009–1031 (2006).

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  5. Kettenmann, H. & Ransom, B. R. (eds) Neuroglia 2nd edn (Oxford Univ. Press, 2005).

  6. Nave, K.-A. & Trapp, B. D. Axon–glial signaling and the glial support of axon function. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 31, 535–561 (2008).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Wang, D. D. & Bordey, A. The astrocyte odyssey. Prog. Neurobiol. 86, 342–367 (2008).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nicola J. Allen and Ben A. Barres are in the Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5125, USA. njallen@stanford.edu barres@stanford.edu,

    Nicola J. Allen & Ben A. Barres

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  1. Nicola J. Allen
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  2. Ben A. Barres
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Allen, N., Barres, B. Glia — more than just brain glue. Nature 457, 675–677 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/457675a

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