Glial Cells and Integrity of the Nervous System

Abstract

Today, there is enormous progress in understanding the function of glial cells, including astroglia, oligodendroglia, Schwann cells, and microglia. Around 150 years ago, glia were viewed as a glue among neurons. During the course of the twentieth century, microglia were discovered and neuroscientists' views evolved toward considering glia only as auxiliary cells of neurons. However, over the last two to three decades, glial cells' importance has been reconsidered because of the evidence on their involvement in defining central nervous system architecture, brain metabolism, the survival of neurons, development and modulation of synaptic transmission, propagation of nerve impulses, and many other physiological functions. Furthermore, increasing evidence shows that glia are involved in the mechanisms of a broad spectrum of pathologies of the nervous system, including some psychiatric diseases, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases to mention a few. It appears safe to say that no neurological disease can be understood without considering neuron-glia crosstalk. Thus, this book aims to show different roles played by glia in the healthy and diseased nervous system, highlighting some of their properties while considering that the various glial cell types are essential components not only for cell function and integration among neurons, but also for the emergence of important brain homeostasis.

Microglial and neuronal cell pyroptosis induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation aggravates cell injury via activation of the caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway

“…Moreover, for the first time the dye uptake method was used in the brain injury model of in vitro to prove the occurrence of pyroptosis. The results showed that HT22 cells developed cell pyroptosis earlier than BV2 cells, which may help explain the cell type-specific susceptibility in vivo because neurons are more vulnerable to ischemia-induced injury than microglia 11 [30][31][32]. In our study, we also found no changes in GSDME activation in both neuronal cells and microglia after OGD/R.…”

HMGB1 mediates microglia activation via the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in coriaria lactone induced epilepsy

“…as well as elevated seizure outcomes observed in people with epilepsy ( 4 ). A previous study demonstrated that microglial cells in epileptic rats feature widespread, activation-associated morphological changes such as increase in cell number density, massive up-regulation of CD11b and de-ramification ( 14 ). In gliomas, microglia and macrophages represent a significant component of the inflammatory response, and the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory functions of them dictates their antitumor activity ( 31 ).…”

“…Glia serve a pivotal role in the initiation and maintenance of the CNS immune response, and it involves in defining central nervous system architecture, brain metabolism, and the survival of neurons, development and modulation of synaptic transmission, propagation of nerve impulses, and many other physiological functions ( 13 ). In the recently years, the contribution of glial cells, mainly astrocytes and microglia, to the pathophysiology of epilepsy is increasingly appreciated ( 11 , 14 ).…”

Metabolic Regulation of Glial Phenotypes: Implications in Neuron–Glia Interactions and Neurological Disorders

“…The neuron-glia interactions are crucial for normal functioning of the brain during development and throughout adult life. The emerging line of evidence has shed light on the importance of glia in their bidirectional communication with neurons, their adaptability in various pathologies, modulation of neuronal activity, and phenotypic changes in response to neuronal injury (Benarroch, 2005;von Bernhardi et al, 2016). Throughout the brain tissue, neurons are closely associated with glial cells including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia and their dynamic interactions are important for normal brain function (Chung et al, 2015;Meyer and Kaspar, 2017).…”