Kettenmann H, Verkhratsky A
Zelluläre Neurowissenschaften, Max-Delbrück-Centrum für molekulare Medizin, Berlin.
Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr. 2011 Oct;79(10):588-97. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1281704. Epub 2011 Oct 11.
The brain is composed of two major cell types - neurons and glial cells. While neurons have been extensively studied, research on glia cells has picked up only in the last decades. There are three types of glia cells in the central nervous system: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia cells. In the peripheral nervous system the glia cells are called Schwann cells. Astrocytes are a very heterogeneous population of cells which interact with neurons and blood vessels. These cells detect neuronal activity and can modulate neuronal networks. Oligodendrocytes in the central and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system form myelin and therefore are prerequisites for the high conduction velocity of axons in vertebrates. Microglia cells are the immune cells of the central nervous system and respond by a process called activation to any change in the environment. They are therefore considered as pathological sensors of the brain. They migrate to the site of injury, can proliferate and phagocytose and interact with the peripheral immune system by antigen presentation. Today, we view the brain as an organ which fulfils its function by the interaction of all these cell types. This is also particularly relevant for brain diseases.
大脑由两种主要细胞类型组成——神经元和神经胶质细胞。虽然神经元已经得到了广泛研究，但对神经胶质细胞的研究只是在过去几十年才开始兴起。中枢神经系统中有三种神经胶质细胞：星形胶质细胞、少突胶质细胞和小胶质细胞。在周围神经系统中，神经胶质细胞被称为施万细胞。星形胶质细胞是一类非常异质的细胞群体，它们与神经元和血管相互作用。这些细胞能检测神经元活动，并可调节神经网络。中枢神经系统中的少突胶质细胞和周围神经系统中的施万细胞形成髓鞘，因此是脊椎动物轴突高传导速度的先决条件。小胶质细胞是中枢神经系统的免疫细胞，通过一个称为激活的过程对环境中的任何变化做出反应。因此，它们被视为大脑的病理传感器。它们迁移到损伤部位，能够增殖、吞噬，并通过抗原呈递与外周免疫系统相互作用。如今，我们将大脑视为一个通过所有这些细胞类型的相互作用来实现其功能的器官。这对于脑部疾病也尤为重要。
