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Evidence from mice human hybrids shows that Glial support cells may enhance people’s thinking prowess
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Transplanting human brain cells into mice makes the mice smarter, a new study shows.
But the smart-making brain cells are not the nerve cells most people think of as controlling thoughts. Instead, they are part of the supporting cast of brain cells known as glia (Greek for “glue”).
Scientists have long seen glia, including a subset known as astrocytes, as support cells that feed neurons, mop up excess neurotransmitters and generally help hold the brain together. The new study, published March 7 in Cell Stem Cell, shows that glial cells also influence memory formation and could change how scientists think the brain works, says R. Douglas Fields of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “It’s a paradigm-shifting paper,” says Fields, who was not involved in the work.
See more and subscribe to NextBigFuture at 2013-03-07 12:01:35 Source: http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/03/evidence-from-mice-human-hybrids-shows.html
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