Neuronismo y reticulismo: neuronal-glial circuits unify the reticular and neuronal theories of brain organization.
The neuronal doctrine, which shaped the development of neuroscience, was born from a long-lasting struggle between reticularists, who assumed internal continuity of neural networks and neuronists, who defined the brain as a network of physically separated cellular entities, defined as neurones. Modern views regard the brain as a complex of constantly interacting cellular circuits, represented by neuronal networks embedded into internally connected astroglial syncytium. The neuronal-glial circuits endowed with distinct signalling cascades form a 'diffuse nervous net' suggested by Golgi, where millions of synapses belonging to very different neurones are integrated first into neuronal-glial-vascular units and then into more complex structures connected through glial syncytium. These many levels of integration, both morphological and functional, presented by neuronal-glial circuitry ensure the spatial and temporal multiplication of brain cognitive power.
Verkhratsky
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Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. alex.verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents