Careful pruning guides neuron function
Accessory brain cells called glial cells nibble nerve cells to affect worm memory, behavior even at the single-cell level April 6, 2021 • By Sabrina Richards / Fred Hutch News Service Dr. Aakanksha Singhvi (right) and graduate student Stephan Raiders (left) discuss their work on glial cells, critical brain cells that help neurons function properly. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service
The neurons in our brains and bodies do amazing things: sense the outside world, transmit information, guide our behavior. But they don’t do it alone.
Using tiny worms with well-mapped nervous systems, scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center answered a longstanding question about the role of accessory brain cells called glial cells in supporting neuron function. Their study was published recently in the journal eLife.