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Glial Cells

Glial Cells

Nervous Tissue: Glial Cells

Nervous Tissue: Glial Cells

Glia, or neuroglia, are vital support cells that assist neurons in their functions. The term "glia" originates from the Greek word for "glue," reflecting their role in holding the nervous system together. These cells can be categorized into six types: four in the central nervous system (CNS) and two in the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
The CNS glial cell includes the astrocytes, the oligodendrocytes, the microglia, and the ependymal cells.
Astrocytes are star-shaped glial...

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Morphological changes in glial cells arrangement under mechanical loading: A quantitative study.

Faezeh Eskandari¹, Mehdi Shafieian¹, Mohammad M Aghdam²

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

|September 11, 2022

Summary

Mechanical forces impact brain tissue microstructure, affecting glial cell arrangement and axon integrity. Increased strain alters cell spacing, suggesting glial cell architecture could serve as a novel brain injury biomarker.

Keywords:

Axons Brain microstructure Glial cells Histology Mechanical loading

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High-resolution Imaging of Nuclear Dynamics in Live Cells under Uniaxial Tensile Strain

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biomechanical Engineering
Materials Science

Background:

Brain tissue's mechanical properties and microstructure are influenced by mechanical stimuli.
Previous research has focused more on mechanical properties than microstructural changes from loading.
Understanding microstructural alterations is crucial for comprehending brain injury mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of ex-vivo mechanical forces on the micro-architecture of brain tissue.
Specifically examining the effects on axons and glial cells under varying strain levels.

Main Methods:

A three-step loading protocol (loading-recovery-loading) was applied to bovine brain tissue samples.
Strain levels ranged from 5% to 40%, with samples analyzed after each loading step.
Histological analysis measured axon length and glial cell-cell distances in planes parallel and perpendicular to the loading direction.

Main Results:

Increased strain led to more significant changes in cell nuclei arrangement parallel to axons.
Maximum glial cell-cell distance was observed at 15% strain, decreasing at higher strains.
This suggests potential axon rupture at higher strains, limiting glial cell displacement.

Conclusions:

Glial cell spatial patterns are significantly influenced by axonal fiber orientation.
The observed changes in glial cell architecture at specific strain levels, particularly near the injury threshold, are noteworthy.
Glial cell architecture warrants further investigation as a potential biomarker for mechanical brain injury.