image: Protoplasmic astrocyte (red) of the adult rat hippocampus filled with the fluorescent dye Lucifer yellow and imaged by confocal microscopy. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Eric Bushong and Mark Ellisman, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
Glia are cells that serve to nourish and support the neuronal cells that relay electrical signals through the nervous system. They also play critical roles in development and synapse formation, helping to establish neural circuits. Glia, published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, examines our understanding of the basic biology of glia and their roles in diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer. What emerges from this work is new insight into the importance of glial cells, especially an appreciation that the development, function, and malfunction of our brains can only be understood as a signaling interplay between neurons and glial cells.
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