Prof. Knut Biber: "The importance of glia cells in CNS physiology and pathology"

Prof. Knut Biber
University Medical Center für Psychiatry, Freiburg   
Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands

The importance of glia cells in CNS physiology and pathology

According to the neuron doctrine that was proposed a century ago neurons are the basic structural and functional units of the central nervous system (CNS). The neuron doctrine still is a central tenet of modern neuroscience; however, recent studies suggest that there are notable exceptions and important additions to this theory. It is clear today that neurons are not the solely functional units of the CNS; in fact neurons are only a minority within the CNS. The three glia cell subtypes outnumber neurons and have been recognized in the last decade as important contributors to all CNS functions, including information processing. This presentation will provide an introduction into glia cell function, with a more specific excursion into the role of neuron-glia communication in brain diseases.