Tina Zhang - Home. The Root of Thought: What Do Glial Cells Do? Andrew Koob received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from Purdue University in 2005, and has held research positions at Dartmouth College, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Munich, Germany.
He's also the author of The Root of Thought, which explores the purpose and function of glial cells, the most abundant cell type in the brain. Mind Matters editor Jonah Lehrer chats with Koob about why glia have been overlooked for centuries, and how new experiments with glial cells shed light on some of the most mysterious aspects of the mind. LEHRER: Your new book, The Root of Thought, is all about the power of glial cells, which actually make up nearly 90 percent of cells in the brain. What do glial cells do? And why do we have so many inside our head? KOOB: Originally, scientists didn't think they did anything. LEHRER: Why have glia been neglected for so long? KOOB: To understand this, you have to take a tour of the history of brain science. More than glue: Glia cells found to regulate synapses. Glia cells: the brain's supervisors (credit: Gray's anatomy/Wikimedia Commons) Glia cells are central to the brain’s plasticity, Tel Aviv University researchers have found, controlling how the brain adapts, learns, and stores information — and their design can be implemented in neuromorphic computer chips.
Glia cells (Greek for “glue,” also known as glial) hold the brain’s neurons together and protect the cells that determine our thoughts and behaviors. But glia cells have now been found to do much more: a mechanism within the glia cells also regulate the synapses, sorting information for learning purposes, according to Ph.D. student Maurizio De Pittà of TAU’s Schools of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical Engineering. “Glia cells are like the brain’s supervisors. They control the transfer of information between neurons, affecting how the brain processes information and learns.” De Pittà’s research, led by his TAU supervisor Prof. Regulating the brain’s “social network” Persinger and the New Brain Sciences of Neurotheology and Magnetic Neurotechnology. How marijuana impairs memory. The research shows that tetrahydrocanabinol (THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) impairs working memory by inducing a form of synaptic plasticity that weakens neuronal connections.
This could lead to new THC-related drugs that have therapeutic value but do not cause this unwanted effect. More interestingly, though, the findings provide compelling evidence that hitherto neglected brain cells called astrocytes are critical for brain function and play a direct role in cognitive processes. There are two different types of synapitc plasticity. One of these, called long-term potentiation, strengthens the connections between neurons so that neurotransmission – the process by which signals pass from one nerve cell to another – is more effective. Long-term potentiation is widely believed to underly learning and memory. The basic principles of neurotransmission are well understood. This process can be enhanced or diminished in a number of ways. New in the Literature: Tai Chi in Patients With Parkinson Disease (N Engl J Med 2012; 366:511-519.) Tai chi training appears to reduce balance impairments in patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson disease, with additional benefits of improved functional capacity and reduced falls, say authors of an article published this month in NEJM.
For this trial, researchers randomly assigned 195 patients with stage 1 to 4 disease on the Hoehn and Yahr staging scale (which ranges from 1 to 5, with higher stages indicating more severe disease) to 1 of 3 groups: tai chi, resistance training, or stretching. The patients participated in 60-minute exercise sessions twice weekly for 24 weeks. The primary outcomes were changes from baseline in the limits-of-stability test (maximum excursion and directional control; range, 0 to 100%). Secondary outcomes included measures of gait and strength, scores on functional-reach and timed up-and-go tests, motor scores on the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale, and number of falls. APTA member Johnny Galver, PT, coauthored the article.