Glial cell

Glial cell
A supportive cell in the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord. Glial cells do not conduct electrical impulses (as opposed to neurons, which do). The glial cells surround neurons and provide support for them and insulation between them. Glial cells are capable of extensive signaling in response to a diversity of stimuli. Bidirectional communication exists between glial cells and neurons, and between glial cells and vascular cells. Glial cells are the most abundant cell types in the central nervous system. There are three types of glial cells: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. Astrocytes are concerned with neurotransmission and neuronal metabolism. Oligodendrocytes are involved in the production of myelin, the insulating material around neurons.. And microglia are part of the immune system.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Glial cell — Glial cells, commonly called neuroglia or simply glia (Greek for glue ), are non neuronal cells that provide support and nutrition, maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and participate in signal transmission in the nervous system. In the human… …   Wikipedia

  • Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor — Glial cell derived neurotrophic factor, also known as GDNF, is a small protein that potently promotes the survival of many types of neurons cite web | title = Entrez Gene: GDNF glial cell derived neurotrophic factor| url = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih …   Wikipedia

  • glial cell — A type of cell that surrounds nerve cells and holds them in place. Glial cells also insulate nerve cells from each other …   English dictionary of cancer terms

  • glial cell — noun a cell of the neuroglia • Syn: ↑neurogliacyte, ↑neuroglial cell • Hypernyms: ↑somatic cell, ↑vegetative cell • Hyponyms: ↑astrocyte, ↑microgliacyte, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • glial cell — noun A type of cell, in the nervous system, that provides support for the neurons. Syn: glia …   Wiktionary

  • radial glial cell — A type of glial cell, organized as parallel fibres joining the inner and outer surfaces of the developing cortex. They are thought to play a role in neuronal guidance in development. See contact guidance …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • Glial scar — formation (gliosis) is a reactive cellular process involving astrogliosis that occurs after injury to the Central Nervous System. As with scarring in other organs and tissues, the glial scar is the body s mechanism to protect and begin the… …   Wikipedia

  • Glial fibrillary acidic protein — (GFAP) is an intermediate filament (IF) protein that is found in glial cells such as astrocytes, but also in other cell types such as Leydig cells in the testis and stellate cells in the liver.cite journal | author = J A Holash, S I Harik, G… …   Wikipedia

  • Cell — The basic structural and functional unit in people and all living things. Each cell is a small container of chemicals and water wrapped in a membrane. Each cell in the human body there are 100 trillion cells in each of us contains the entire… …   Medical dictionary

  • List of topics in cell biology — Cell invokes a major branch of theory and research known variously as cell biology, cellular biology or cytology. The study of cell tissues is known as histology. Cell types are often referred to using the suffixes blast, clast, cyte, especially… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”