by Sarah Bates
Glia in a mouse brain. Credit: Jonathan Cohen/NIH
The number of nerve cells in the human brain sounds impressive: 100 billion. And it is.
But neurons may make up as little as 15 percent of cells in the brain. The other cells are called glial cells, or glia.
Glia are the rising stars of the neuroscience universe. Once delegated to simply a supporting role for neurons, these cells are now thought to play an important part in early brain development, learning and memory.
A 2013 workshop funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) enabled researchers who study learning and memory to get together (many for the first time) and reconsider glia's function.
"It was paradigm-shifting," said R. Douglas Fields, a neurobiologist at the National Institutes of Health and meeting organizer. "Everyone left enthused about the enormous potential for understanding brain function, especially learning and memory by studying how all the cells in the brain work together, rather than focusing exclusively on neurons."
In fact, Fields and other brain researchers who specialize in glia have since called for a greater focus on non-neuronal cells as part of the BRAIN Initiative, a collaborative research project announced by the Obama administration in April 2013.
Star-shaped glia called astrocytes (red) are the most abundant cell in the human brain. Young oligodendrocytes (green) are glia that help insulate nerve cell axons in the brain. The blue cells are neurons. Credit: Jonathan Cohen/NIH
When you learn something, how to catch a ball or use an equation, information is transmitted along the spindly arms of neurons via electrical signals. At the same time, glia called oligodendrocytes work to insulate these particular arms with a fatty substance called myelin so the information flows more efficiently.
Some studies show that glial cells known as astrocytes may have an even more active role in learning. Astrocytes may release chemicals that strengthen newly formed connections between neurons, making it more likely you'll be able to remember a new face, or the name of your co-worker's beloved golden retriever.
Understanding how we learn requires that scientists and engineers take a holistic approach to brain research.
An oligodendrocyte (green) extends multiple branches to contact the nerve cells' axons (purple) and wrap myelin insulation around them. Credit: R. Douglas Fields/NIH
NSF-funded research centers such as the Center of Excellence for Learning in Education, Science and Technology and the Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center integrate experimentation, modeling and technical application to help us understand what's really going on inside the brain. And to use that knowledge to educate students and to build intelligent technologies.
Astrocytes from a rat brain. Credit: Jonathan Cohen/NIH
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© Medical Xpress 2011-2014, Science X network
by Sarah Bates
Glia in a mouse brain. Credit: Jonathan Cohen/NIH
The number of nerve cells in the human brain sounds impressive: 100 billion. And it is.
But neurons may make up as little as 15 percent of cells in the brain. The other cells are called glial cells, or glia.
Glia are the rising stars of the neuroscience universe. Once delegated to simply a supporting role for neurons, these cells are now thought to play an important part in early brain development, learning and memory.
A 2013 workshop funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) enabled researchers who study learning and memory to get together (many for the first time) and reconsider glia's function.
"It was paradigm-shifting," said R. Douglas Fields, a neurobiologist at the National Institutes of Health and meeting organizer. "Everyone left enthused about the enormous potential for understanding brain function, especially learning and memory by studying how all the cells in the brain work together, rather than focusing exclusively on neurons."
In fact, Fields and other brain researchers who specialize in glia have since called for a greater focus on non-neuronal cells as part of the BRAIN Initiative, a collaborative research project announced by the Obama administration in April 2013.
Star-shaped glia called astrocytes (red) are the most abundant cell in the human brain. Young oligodendrocytes (green) are glia that help insulate nerve cell axons in the brain. The blue cells are neurons. Credit: Jonathan Cohen/NIH
When you learn something, how to catch a ball or use an equation, information is transmitted along the spindly arms of neurons via electrical signals. At the same time, glia called oligodendrocytes work to insulate these particular arms with a fatty substance called myelin so the information flows more efficiently.
Some studies show that glial cells known as astrocytes may have an even more active role in learning. Astrocytes may release chemicals that strengthen newly formed connections between neurons, making it more likely you'll be able to remember a new face, or the name of your co-worker's beloved golden retriever.
Understanding how we learn requires that scientists and engineers take a holistic approach to brain research.
An oligodendrocyte (green) extends multiple branches to contact the nerve cells' axons (purple) and wrap myelin insulation around them. Credit: R. Douglas Fields/NIH
NSF-funded research centers such as the Center of Excellence for Learning in Education, Science and Technology and the Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center integrate experimentation, modeling and technical application to help us understand what's really going on inside the brain. And to use that knowledge to educate students and to build intelligent technologies.
Astrocytes from a rat brain. Credit: Jonathan Cohen/NIH
Explore further: Learning early in life may help keep brain cells alive
Medical Xpress on facebook
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Learning early in life may help keep brain cells alive
May 27, 2014
According to a recently published study in Frontiers in Neuroscience, Rutgers behavioral and systems neuroscientist Tracey Shors, who co-authored the study, found that the newborn brain cells in young rats t ...
Learning brakes in the brain
May 13, 2014
A brain capable of learning is important for survival: only those who learn can endure in the natural world. When it learns, the brain stores new information by changing the strength of the junctions that ...
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Dec 29, 2011
Glia cells, named for the Greek word for "glue," hold the brain's neurons together and protect the cells that determine our thoughts and behaviors, but scientists have long puzzled over their prominence in ...
Milestone in the regeneration of brain cells
Aug 20, 2007
The majority of cells in the human brain are not nerve cells but star-shaped glia cells, the so called “astroglia”. “Glia means “glue”, explains Götz. “As befits their name, until now these cells have been regarded ...
Researchers apply brainpower to understanding neural stem cell differentiation
Oct 24, 2013
How do humans and other mammals get so brainy? USC researcher Wange Lu, PhD, and his colleagues shed new light on this question in a paper that will be published in Cell Reports on October 24.
Recommended for you
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16 hours ago
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17 hours ago
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18 hours ago
(Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers working at Cambridge University in the U.K. has found that spatial awareness shifts to the right when people are falling asleep. In their paper published in the journal ...
Brain signals link physical fitness to better language skills in kids
20 hours ago
Children who are physically fit have faster and more robust neuro-electrical brain responses during reading than their less-fit peers, researchers report.
Balancing strategy to lateral impact in a rat Rattus norregicus
20 hours ago
The balancing strategy to lateral impact in a rat is closely related to the striked position of the body. The research result can be inspired to improve the robustness of bionic robot. This was found by Dr. JI Aihong and ...
User comments
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