My topic of interest of this week was Glia (neuroglia) the
reason being that they have so many functions. A while back Glia was thought to
hold neurons together hence the name, which is derived from the work glue in
Greek. This article helped me understand a little bit more of what glia cells
do and other functions like Satellite cells which are not mentioned in the book
Biological Psychology 11th edition by Kalat. Astrocytes are
star -shaped glia that help axons (the
cord that send messages in neurons) synchronize, which enables neurons to send
messages in waves, they also help by removing waste that is created when
neurons die, astrocytes also control how much blood flow each brain area
receives giving it more nutrients to help you think better. There are also
Microglia, which also help remove fungi, viruses and other microorganisms,
behaving like the immune system. Other Glia focus in forming Myelin sheaths (a
substance made up of fats and proteins that surround and insulate areas of the
axon in neurons to help transmit messages faster) these Glia are the Schwann
cells found in the periphery of the body, and Oligodendrocytes found in the
spinal cord and brain. What I find very interesting is how Radial glia help
during the embryotic development period by guiding the migration of neurons and
their dendrites and axons to where they belong, then when the development
period is over most become into astrocytes or oligodendrocytes or neurons. So I
leave you guys with this very interesting video on Glia cells that might help
on areas I didn’t cover.
Did you know glia cells were discovered during the 19th century? Interestingly neurons are given the credit for brain activity, just like the neuroscientist in the video mentioned that they were "taught" to use electrodes to study the brain and glia do not respond to electrodes. The new views of how the brain "really works" are the future of neuroscience. It will be interesting to read articles 10 years from now and learn how glia communicate and the purpose in the nervous system.
ReplyDeleteThat video was an awesome find! There is so much to learn about glia! I hope that scientists are able to learn enough and maybe in the future we can manipulate glia to help fight brain and nerve diseases. Also, from the page you linked to, kinda makes it sound like the glia are moms of the neurons, cleaning up after them, feeding them nutrients, but all joking aside, it helped me really identify the difference between the glia and neurons.
ReplyDelete