小胶质细胞对炎症介导的帕金森病的影响

大量研究表明小胶质细胞在神经退行性疾病,包括阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病的神经退化过程中都有很大的影响。而关于小胶质细胞在神经退行性疾病中究竟起着什么样的作用仍有待确定,但当小胶质细胞过度激活最后都会导致神经元的死亡。激活的小胶质细胞会分泌多种诱发或加重神经退行性疾病的炎症因子或神经毒素,系统性炎症是慢性神经退行性疾病患者相关功能下降的主要诱因之一。该文对小胶质细胞在神经退行性疾病的发病机制中所产生的作用,特别是小胶质细胞对于帕金森病的动物和细胞培养模型的研究进展及新的方法和潜在的治疗策略进行综述。     

Glial cells: The other cells of the nervous system

Carl Ludwig Schleich (1859–1922) was an anaesthetist and a surgeon who for the first time emphasized the role of neuroglia in brain function. In an era that was dominated by the idea that neurons alone were functional units of the nervous system and that glial cells were a mere glue holding neurons in place, Schleich insisted that glia had a prominent functional role to play. He suggested that interactions between neurons and glia were so strong that it is necessary to consider brain as a neuron-glia system whose performance is dependent on both the cell types. Today Carl Ludwig Schleich is considered the forgotten ancestor to a new breed of neurobiologists, the gliologists, who specialize in working on these neglected cells of the nervous system. Though outnumbering the neurons and occupying almost half the volume of the brain, glial cells have been given little importance in textbooks of neurobiology and are very often cursorily mentioned in discussions related to brain function. Glial cells deserve a better deal, for over the years a lot of evidence has accumulated to prove that they perform a wide spectrum of functions. This is the first of a series of articles that aims to update students on what is known about glia today. It provides an overview of the various types of glia and their origins. The following articles will deal with each of the glial sub-types and their functions.