Astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and schwann cells

Abstract

Astrocytes being the most abundant cell types in the mammalian brain are intimately associated with a plethora of functions that are vital to central nervous system (CNS) physiology, including the development and maintenance of the vasculature scaffold and blood brain barrier, synaptogenesis, neurotransmission, and preservation of metabolic homeostasis. Astrocytes also play important roles in supporting the development and maintenance of central nervous system myelin. Accordingly, astrocytes have been directly associated with several neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory demyelinating diseases, HIV-associated dementia (HAD), acute traumatic brain injury, and prion-associated spongiform encephalopathies. Other non-neuronal cell types such as, oligodendrocytes in the CNS and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) are known to play an important role in the homeostasis of the nervous system. These cells wrap their plasma membranes around axons to organize myelinated nerve, thereby allowing rapid saltatory conduction. Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells produce different type of protein, lipid and growth factors that promote neuronal survival, axonal growth and process formation.