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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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Updated: Jun 27, 2025

Stab Wound Injury of the Zebrafish Adult Telencephalon: A Method to Investigate Vertebrate Brain Neurogenesis and Regeneration

Stab Wound Injury of the Zebrafish Adult Telencephalon: A Method to Investigate Vertebrate Brain Neurogenesis and Regeneration

Published on: August 4, 2014

Glial Cell Development and Function in the Zebrafish Central Nervous System.

Tim Czopka¹, Kelly Monk², Francesca Peri³

¹Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, United Kingdom Tim.Czopka@ed.ac.uk monk@ohsu.edu Francesca.peri@uzh.ch.

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

|May 1, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Zebrafish are valuable for studying glial cells in the nervous system. This review highlights their use in understanding glial cell development, plasticity, and regeneration, focusing on oligodendrocytes, microglia, and astrocytes.

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Last Updated: Jun 27, 2025

Stab Wound Injury of the Zebrafish Adult Telencephalon: A Method to Investigate Vertebrate Brain Neurogenesis and Regeneration

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Motor Nerve Transection and Time-lapse Imaging of Glial Cell Behaviors in Live Zebrafish

Motor Nerve Transection and Time-lapse Imaging of Glial Cell Behaviors in Live Zebrafish

Published on: June 20, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Regenerative Medicine

Background:

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become a premier model organism for studying nervous system development, plasticity, and regeneration.
Glial cells, including oligodendrocytes, microglia, and astrocytes, play critical roles in these processes.
Previous work by Lyons and Talbot (2015) established a foundation for zebrafish glial cell research.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the advancements in understanding glial cell biology using zebrafish as a model organism.
To focus on the roles of oligodendrocytes, microglia, and astrocytes in the central nervous system.
To discuss current knowledge gaps and future research directions in the field.

Main Methods:

Leveraging the zebrafish's genetic tractability for experimental manipulation.
Utilizing intravital imaging techniques for real-time observation of glial cell dynamics.
Synthesizing recent findings from the scientific literature.

Main Results:

Zebrafish offer unique advantages for studying glial cell biology due to genome manipulation and imaging capabilities.
Recent findings reveal diverse properties and functions of oligodendrocytes, microglia, and astrocytes in the zebrafish central nervous system.
The review consolidates current understanding of glial cell roles in development, plasticity, and regeneration.

Conclusions:

Zebrafish are instrumental in elucidating fundamental principles of glial cell biology.
Further research in zebrafish will continue to advance our understanding of nervous system health and disease.
Key areas for future investigation include detailed functional analyses and comparative studies across glial subtypes.