Abstract
This review aims to highlight the various significant matters in glial research stemming from personal work by the author and associates at the Unit of Applied Neurobiology (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET), and some of the pending questions. A reassessment and further comments on interlaminar astrocytes—an astroglial cell type that is specific to humans and other non-human primates, and is not found in rodents, is presented. Tentative hypothesis regarding their function and future possible research lines that could contribute to further the analysis of their development and possible role(s), are suggested. The possibility that they function as a separate entity from the “territorial” astrocytes, is also considered. In addition, the potential significance of our observations on interspecies differences in in vitro glial cell dye coupling, on glial diffusible factors affecting the induction of this glial phenotype, and on their interference with the cellular toxic effects of cerebrospinal fluid obtained from l-DOPA treated patients with Parkinson´s disease, is also considered. The major differences oberved in the cerebral cortex glial layout between human and rodents—the main model for studying glial function and pathology—calls for a careful assessment of known and potential species differences in all aspects of glial cell biology. This is essential to provide a better understanding of the organization and function of human and non-human primate brain, and of the neurobiological basis of their behavior.
Highlights
Following retirement from active laboratory work, a change in the experimental line of research at the Unit of Applied Neurobiology (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET) laboratories—at present aimed at studying more decisively neurocognitive issues—has provided the opportunity to propose this sort of brief account and reassessment of unresolved and pending questions on “glial issues” that were dealt with in our neurobiological laboratory in recent decades
Comprehensive reviews, and inspirational thoughts on other related aspects of glial physiology can be found in Kettenmann and Ransom (2005), Verkhratsky and Butt (2013), and Verkhratsky and Nedergaard (2018) [1,2,3], as well as in numerous individual articles, for it, seems evident that experimental research on neuroglia has entered an era of further fertile analysis
Applying dye coupling procedures comparative studies were performed in human, Applying lucifer luciferyellow yellow dye coupling procedures comparative studies were performed in non-human primate, and rat cerebral cortex astroglial cell cultures
Summary
Following retirement from active laboratory work, a change in the experimental line of research at the Unit of Applied Neurobiology (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET) laboratories—at present aimed at studying more decisively neurocognitive issues—has provided the opportunity to propose this sort of brief account and reassessment of unresolved and pending questions on “glial issues” that were dealt with in our neurobiological laboratory in recent decades. Comprehensive reviews, and inspirational thoughts on other related aspects of glial physiology can be found in Kettenmann and Ransom (2005), Verkhratsky and Butt (2013), and Verkhratsky and Nedergaard (2018) [1,2,3], as well as in numerous individual articles, for it, seems evident that experimental research on neuroglia has entered an era of further fertile analysis As it will be considered later, caution and weighed decisions should be exerted in attempting interspecies extrapolations—in the present context referred to brain glia—and building our understanding of human and non-human primate brain organization and phyisology based on what can be considered.
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