Clever glia

Abstract

Twenty years ago glial cells were shown to contribute to neuronal information processing, instead of merely supporting neuronal function, thus challenging the century old neuron doctrine. Due to the lack of appropriate experimental models, however, determining the role of glia in higher brain function and disease has been hampered. In a recent paper, Han and colleagues transplanted human glial progenitor cells into mice; not only does this study pave the way for generations of excellent models to study the physiology and pathophysiology of human glial cells, especially in the age of induced pluripotent stem cells, but more importantly it further challenges the neuron doctrine, since the human-glia transplanted mice turned into better learners. So, are glial cells the ones we owe our intelligence to after all?. © 2013 Bio Med Central Ltd.