Mechanisms of ischemic cerebral damage: the role of glial cells.
Glial cells exert an important homeostatic function in the brain in protecting neurons from extracellular mediators of secondary brain damage. In vitro studies suggest that glial swelling as observed in ischemia is not simply an indication of glial damage but rather of the activation of glial homeostatic functions. The mechanisms of glial swelling due to exposure to glutamate and acidosis, as well as therapeutic consequences, are discussed.
Kempski
O
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Institute for Surgical Research, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, FRG.