#glial

A new type of cell has been identified in the heart that is linked to regulating heart rate – and the discovery promises to advance our understanding of cardiovascular defects and diseases, once these cells have been more extensively studied.

The new cell is a type of glial cell – cells that support nerve cells – like astrocytes in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). Named nexus glia, they're located in the outflow tract of the heart, the place where many congenital heart defects are found.

The new cell type was first found in zebrafish, before being confirmed in mouse and human hearts too. Experiments on zebrafish found that when the cells were removed, heart rate increased; and when genetic editing blocked glial development, the heartbeat became irregular.

You Dirty Rat! Image of the Week – February 10, 2020

CIL:48107 - http://cellimagelibrary.org/images/48107

Description: Differentiated rat neural stem cells stained for β III-Tubulin (in blue) to reveal neurons and GFAP (in red) to reveal glial cells.

Authors: Natalie Prigozhina

Astrocyte

Study identifies new key role for astrocytes in memory and learning. Thoughts health innovators?

Glial cells are immune cells found in the brain which do not participate directly in synaptic interactions or electrical signaling like nerve cells, although their supportive functions help define synaptic contacts and maintain the signaling abilities of neurons.   Astrocytes are specialized glial cells which outnumber neurons by over fivefold, with astrocytic roles and involvement in…

New research on mice has suggested the symptoms produced by schizophrenia could largely be the result of defective cells that play an important role in supporting and insulating the nerve cells.

The discovery challenges conventional thinking that has concentrated on the nerve cells themselves, and could potentially open new ways to detect and treat the condition.

Nature Immunology, Published online: 26 June 2025; doi:10.1038/s41590-025-02194-8 We show that mutations in the CSF1R gene, which cause the rare neurodegenerative disease ALSP, lead to the loss and abnormal activation of microglia. This triggers glial stress and the emergence of disease-associated oligodendrocytes with impaired myelinating potential. These findings suggest potential therapeutic…

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that impaired glucose metabolism in glial cells, a type of cell in our nervous system, plays a key role in the degeneration caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Using fruit fly retinas, they showed that promoting glucose metabolism in glial cells with tau protein build-up, like in Alzheimer’s patients, helps relieve inflammation and…