Glia

Glial roles that are well-established include maintaining the ionic

milieu of nerve cells, modulating the rate of nerve signal propagation, modulating
synaptic action by controlling the uptake of neurotransmitters at or
near the synaptic cleft, providing a scaffold for some aspects of neural development,
and aiding in (or impeding, in some instances) recovery from
neural injury.





1. Astrocytes

They have elaborate local processes that give them a starlike appearance.

Localization: brain, spinal cord

Function: A major function of astrocytes is to maintain, in a variety of ways,
an appropriate chemical environment for neuronal signaling.


2. Oligodendrocytes

Localization: brain, spinal cord

Function: They lay down a
laminated, lipid-rich wrapping called myelin around some, but not all,
axons. In the peripheral nervous system, the cells that
elaborate myelin are called Schwann cells.


3. Microglia

Are derived primarily from hematopoietic precursor
cells (although some may be derived directly from neural precursor
cells).

Function: They share many properties with macrophages found in other tissues,
and are primarily scavenger cells that remove cellular debris from sites of
injury or normal cell turnover. In addition, microglia, like their macrophage
counterparts, secrete signaling moleculesparticularly a wide range of
cytokines that are also produced by cells of the immune systemthat can
modulate local inflammation and influence cell survival or death.