T. LUCAS, L. ZHU AND M. BUCKWALTER/

GLIA

2021

16 SCIENCE NEWS | June 4, 2022

FEATURE

I

n the theater of the brain, nerve cells have long

been cast as the stars, bringing mental scenes

to life with their electrical and chemical perfor-

mances. Yet many of the cellular actors in the

human brain are glial cells, presumably the sup-

porting cast and behind-the-scenes stagehands.

In recent decades, though, accumulating

evidence has shown that glia are not just minor

players that keep the show running. They actu-

ally play starring roles in many of the brain’s most

important acts, such as remembering, learning

and thinking.

And the latest research points to a surprising

new setting for the story of glia: outside the brain.

Mysterious populations of glia reside in the heart,

spleen, lungs and various other organs. But no one

knows how they’ll fit into the plot. Early hints sug-

gest the story is going to be riveting.

Already, tantalizing clues are rolling in about

what these cells are doing. Glia appear to help

regulate the heart’s beating, for instance. Glia in

the spleen reside right between nerve cells and

immune cells — a perfect spot to influence the

connection between health and stress. Exactly

what glia are up to in the lungs is unknown, but

whatever it is seems important, early experiments

suggest — mice with no lung glia die.

“The fact that now there are these new glial cell

populations being discovered in unique organs

will hopefully trigger a lot of lightbulbs,” says

In a mouse spleen, glia

(green) and nerves

(white) mingle as they

wrap around a small

artery (pink). Such close

connections in several

organs have caught the

attention of scientists.

The Star Potential of

Outside the brain, these neglected cells

step into the spotlight By Laura Sanders

GLIA