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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 9, 2026

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

NG2-Glia Heterogeneity Across Cortical Layers.

Sonsoles Barriola¹, Lina María Delgado-García^1,2, Ana Cristina Ojalvo-Sanz¹

¹Instituto Cajal-CSIC& Cajal Neuroscience Center, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.

|December 2, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Neuroglial antigen 2-glia (NG2-glia) show distinct morphologies across mouse cortical layers and regions. Deep layer NG2-glia are more complex, while superficial layer and corpus callosum NG2-glia are more compact, suggesting adaptations for CNS function.

Keywords:

StarTrack labeling astrocyte comparison cortical layering glial diversity morphometric analysis synaptic interaction

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Glial Cell Research

Background:

NG2-glia are a diverse glial cell population in the central nervous system (CNS).
Their morphological variability across different brain regions and cortical layers is not well understood.
Understanding NG2-glia morphology is crucial for comprehending CNS physiology and repair mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To comprehensively map the morphological diversity of NG2-glia in the adult mouse cortex and corpus callosum.
To investigate layer-specific and region-specific differences in NG2-glia structure.
To compare the morphology of NG2-glia with astrocytes.

Main Methods:

Utilized StarTrack labeling and in utero electroporation at embryonic day 14 (E14).
Reconstructed individual NG2-glial cells in the adult mouse cortex and corpus callosum.
Performed detailed 2D and 3D morphometric analyses, including Sholl analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical clustering.

Main Results:

Identified striking layer-specific patterns in NG2-glia morphology.
NG2-glia in deep cortical layers (L5-6) displayed larger somata, more elaborate arborizations, and higher process complexity than those in superficial layers (L1-4) and the corpus callosum.
NG2-glia in layer 1 and the corpus callosum exhibited compact morphology with smaller somata and simplified processes.
Revealed distinct morphological subpopulations within NG2-glia, particularly in upper cortical layers.
Demonstrated fundamental structural differences between NG2-glia and astrocytes, with NG2-glia having thinner, longer processes and astrocytes forming denser arbors.

Conclusions:

Established the first comprehensive morphological atlas of adult cortical NG2-glia.
Highlighted significant region- and layer-specific adaptations in NG2-glia structure.
These morphological variations likely underpin the diverse roles of NG2-glia in CNS physiology and repair.