Abstract
Glial cells are multifunctional, non-neuronal components of the central nervous system with diverse phenotypes that have gained much attention for their close involvement in neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. Glial phenotypes are primarily characterized by their structural and functional changes in response to various stimuli, which can be either neuroprotective or neurotoxic. The reliance of neurons on glial cells is essential to fulfill the energy demands of the brain for its proper functioning. Moreover, the glial cells perform distinct functions to regulate their own metabolic activities, as well as work in close conjunction with neurons through various secreted signaling or guidance molecules, thereby constituting a complex network of neuron-glial interactions in health and disease. The emerging evidence suggests that, in disease conditions, the metabolic alterations in the glial cells can induce structural and functional changes together with neuronal dysfunction indicating the importance of neuron–glia interactions in the pathophysiology of neurological disorders. This review covers the recent developments that implicate the regulation of glial phenotypic changes and its consequences on neuron–glia interactions in neurological disorders. Finally, we discuss the possibilities and challenges of targeting glial metabolism as a strategy to treat neurological disorders.
Highlights
The brain is composed of a complex network of neurons and glial cells carrying out the functions of the central and peripheral nervous system together (Silies and Klambt, 2011)
The mechanism driving the circumstantial activation of glial phenotypes is just starting to unravel
Intensive research is required to clearly demarcate the regional and temporal transitions of the glial cells in various clinical scenarios and to allow the identification of putative targets to skew this transition toward a neuroprotective phenotype
Summary
The brain is composed of a complex network of neurons and glial cells carrying out the functions of the central and peripheral nervous system together (Silies and Klambt, 2011). The increase in glycolytic pathway in the microglial cells is directly correlated with an increase in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, indicating the association of metabolic reprograming with the neurotoxic activation of microglia. Reactive glial cells induced by the accumulation of mutant protein in neurodegenerative diseases further contribute to impairment of the neuronal function by the increased release of proinflammatory cytokines, as well as the generation of reactive oxygen species.
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