Cited by 1,352Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms

The Mystery and Magic of Glia: A Perspective on Their Roles in Health and Disease

Open access
Barres, Ben A.·2008·Neuron

Abstract

In this perspective, I review recent evidence that glial cells are critical participants in every major aspect of brain development, function, and disease. Far more active than once thought, glial cells powerfully control synapse formation, function, and blood flow. They secrete many substances whose roles are not understood, and they are central players in CNS injury and disease. I argue that until the roles of nonneuronal cells are more fully understood and considered, neurobiology as a whole will progress only slowly.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.013

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81 of 81 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Glia constitute 50-90% of cells in the human brain and are highly specialized toward cell type-selective tasks.

    “Glia are not only abundant (constituting 50–90% of the cells in the human brain), but are also highly specialized toward cell type-selective tasks, and therefore ideally suited for these analyses21.”

    From Cell type- and brain region-resolved mouse brain proteome (2015) · cites this paper as [21]

  • Astrocytes enriched in the saccharin group show a homeostatic phenotype.

    “While the astrocytes enriched in the saccharin group show a homeostatic phenotype (Barres, 2008), the phenotype of the astrocytes enriched in the CNO group is less clear.”
  • Accumulation of tau in astrocytes alters astrocytic function, induces neuronal degeneration and promotes cell death through serial degenerative events such as BBB collapse and expression of low-molecular-weight heat shock proteins.

    “Accumulation of tau in astrocytes alters astrocytic function, induces neuronal degeneration and promotes cell death through a serial degenerative events, such as boosting blood-brain barrier (BBB) collapse, and inducing expression of heat shock proteins with low molecular weight [228, 434, 436, 437].”

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Authors
Barres, B. A.
Affiliations
Stanford Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Barres, Ben A.
Venue
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-11
Volume
60
Issue
3
Pages
430-440
ISSN
0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2127621191
Cited by
1,352
References
81
Citations by year
2026: 45 · 2025: 48 · 2024: 65 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 83 · 2021: 98 · 2020: 88 · 2019: 87 · 2018: 83 · 2017: 86 · 2016: 77 · 2015: 69 · 2014: 84 · 2013: 81 · 2012: 80
FWCI
6.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuron (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
Keywords
glial cells, glia, brain development, synaptogenesis, synaptic function, cerebral blood flow, central nervous system injury, neurodegenerative diseases, non-neuronal cells, neurobiology
MeSH terms
Animals, Blood-Brain Barrier, Central Nervous System, Humans, Myelin Sheath, Nervous System Diseases, Neuroglia, Neuronal Plasticity, Neurons, Synapses, Calcium Signaling

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