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The Concept of Neuroglia

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Neuroglia in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1175))

Abstract

Neuroglia represent a diverse population of non-neuronal cells in the nervous systems, be that peripheral, central, enteric or autonomic nervous system. Arguably, these cells represent about half of the volume of the human brain. This volumetric ratio, and by extension glia to neurone ratio, not only widely differ depending on the size of the animal species brain and its positioning on the phylogenetic tree, but also vary between the regions of an individual brain. Neuroglia derived from a dual origin (ectoderm and mesodermal) and in an assorted morphology, yet their functional traits can be mainly classified into being keepers of homeostasis (water, ions, neurotransmitters, metabolites, fuels, etc.) and defenders (e.g., against microbial organisms, etc.) of the nervous system. As these capabilities go awry, neuroglia ultimately define their fundamental role in most, if not, all neuropathologies. This concept presented in this chapter serves as a general introduction into the world of neuroglia and subsequent topics covered by this book.

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Acknowledgments

VP’s work is supported by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (R01GM123971). VP is an Honorary Professor at University of Rijeka, Croatia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK

    Alexei Verkhratsky

  2. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Alexei Verkhratsky

  3. Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011, Bilbao, Spain

    Alexei Verkhratsky

  4. School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China

    Margaret S. Ho

  5. Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Robert Zorec

  6. Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Robert Zorec

  7. Department of Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Vladimir Parpura

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  1. Alexei Verkhratsky
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Correspondence to Alexei Verkhratsky .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Alexei Verkhratsky

  2. School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China

    Margaret S. Ho

  3. Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Robert Zorec

  4. Department of Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Vladimir Parpura

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Verkhratsky, A., Ho, M.S., Zorec, R., Parpura, V. (2019). The Concept of Neuroglia. In: Verkhratsky, A., Ho, M., Zorec, R., Parpura, V. (eds) Neuroglia in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1175. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9913-8_1

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