Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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...

Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue

Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue

In the CNS, neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons from stem cells, is limited to the hippocampus in adults. In other regions of the brain and spinal cord, neurogenesis is almost non-existent due to inhibitory influences from neuroglia, especially oligodendrocytes, and the absence of growth-stimulating cues. The myelin produced by oligodendrocytes in the CNS inhibits neuronal regeneration. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferate rapidly after neuronal damage, forming scar tissue that physically...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Maternal body mass index and association with breast milk intake in three-month-old infants.

BMC pediatrics·2026

Same author

Online 1-session Empowered Relief in Marfan syndrome and related diseases: a single-arm feasibility and pilot efficacy study.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Microglia Promote Neurodegeneration and Hyperkatifeia during Withdrawal and Abstinence from Binge Alcohol.

The American journal of pathology·2025

Same author

Hierarchical Structural Organization in Bioinspired Peptide Coacervate Microdroplets.

ACS nano·2025

Same author

Microglia promote neurodegeneration and hyperkatifeia during withdrawal and prolonged abstinence from binge alcohol.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Glia Preserve Their Own Functions While Compensating for Neighboring Glial Cell Dysfunction.

Glia·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2025

Dissection and Isolation of Murine Glia from Multiple Central Nervous System Regions

Dissection and Isolation of Murine Glia from Multiple Central Nervous System Regions

Published on: June 4, 2020

Glia multitask to compensate for neighboring glial cell dysfunction.

Allison N Beachum¹, Gabriela Salazar¹, Amelia Nachbar¹

¹Department of Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology

|September 24, 2024

Summary

Loss of Spätzle3 (Spz3) causes Drosophila glia to invade neighboring territories. However, this invasion requires CNS growth, and glia can still maintain homeostasis while compensating for lost functions.

Keywords:

Astrocytes Cortex Glia Drosophila Engulfment Neuronal Death Ensheathing Glia Functional Compensation Glial Infiltration Glial tiling Glial-glial interactions Proliferation Subperineurial Glia

More Related Videos

Application of MultiColor FlpOut Technique to Study High Resolution Single Cell Morphologies and Cell Interactions of Glia in Drosophila

Application of MultiColor FlpOut Technique to Study High Resolution Single Cell Morphologies and Cell Interactions of Glia in Drosophila

Published on: October 20, 2017

A Cell Culture Model for Studying the Role of Neuron-Glia Interactions in Ischemia

A Cell Culture Model for Studying the Role of Neuron-Glia Interactions in Ischemia

Published on: November 14, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2025

Dissection and Isolation of Murine Glia from Multiple Central Nervous System Regions

Dissection and Isolation of Murine Glia from Multiple Central Nervous System Regions

Published on: June 4, 2020

Application of MultiColor FlpOut Technique to Study High Resolution Single Cell Morphologies and Cell Interactions of Glia in Drosophila

Application of MultiColor FlpOut Technique to Study High Resolution Single Cell Morphologies and Cell Interactions of Glia in Drosophila

Published on: October 20, 2017

A Cell Culture Model for Studying the Role of Neuron-Glia Interactions in Ischemia

A Cell Culture Model for Studying the Role of Neuron-Glia Interactions in Ischemia

Published on: November 14, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Cell Biology

Background:

Glia exhibit glial tiling, maintaining distinct boundaries during maturation.
Loss of the neurotrophin Spätzle3 (Spz3) in Drosophila leads to cortex glial morphological changes and disrupted neuronal interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate glial responses to Spz3 loss and identify factors regulating glial border crossing.
To understand how glia compensate for lost functions and maintain central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis.

Main Methods:

Utilized Drosophila as a model organism.
Observed glial morphology and behavior following Spz3 loss.
Manipulated CNS growth through nutrient restriction to assess its impact on glial invasion.

Main Results:

Neighboring glial cells (astrocytes, ensheathing glia, subperineurial glia) extend processes into Spz3-deficient cortex glial territory to clear neuronal debris.
Spz3 loss alone does not induce glial border crossing; blocking CNS growth via nutrient restriction prevents this aberrant infiltration.
Compensating glia successfully multitask, maintaining their own functions while performing new roles to preserve CNS homeostasis.

Conclusions:

Glial compensatory mechanisms are activated upon Spz3-induced cortex glial dysfunction.
CNS growth is essential for Spz3-dependent glial invasion, suggesting a link between developmental signaling and glial plasticity.
Drosophila glia demonstrate remarkable adaptability, capable of multitasking to ensure CNS homeostasis even under stress.