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Gap Junctions in Glia

Types, Roles, and Plasticity

  • Chapter
The Functional Roles of Glial Cells in Health and Disease

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 468))

Abstract

The historical perception of glia as simply the glue or putty that holds together the neurons in the nervous system has undergone a recent, radical change (Dermietzel and Spray, 1998). Glia are now known to possess many of the channels, receptors, and transport machinery formerly assigned exclusively to neurons for dissipation of local changes in the neuronal microenvironment. Endowed with these mechanisms, individual glial cells, astrocytes in particular, respond to diverse nervous system signals and thus actively participate in brain function. Because glial cells are connected to one another by gap junction channels, allowing direct intercellular diffusion of ions and signaling molecules, the receptors on individual glia could be effectively shared throughout the network. Thus, gap junctions serve to coordinate and integrate glial activity throughout the nervous system, providing a mechanism whereby both bulk flow of water and solutes as well as regenerative processes such as Ca2+ waves may travel long distances.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 10461, USA

    David C. Spray, Heather S. Duffy & Eliana Scemes

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  1. David C. Spray
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  2. Heather S. Duffy
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  3. Eliana Scemes
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland

    Marco Tsacopoulos

  2. Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece

    Rebecca Matsas

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Spray, D.C., Duffy, H.S., Scemes, E. (1999). Gap Junctions in Glia. In: Matsas, R., Tsacopoulos, M. (eds) The Functional Roles of Glial Cells in Health and Disease. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 468. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4685-6_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4685-6_27

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