title: Glial biology in learning and cognition.
abstract: Neurons are exquisitely specialized for rapid electrical transmission of signals, but some properties of glial cells, which do not communicate with electrical impulses, are well suited for participating in complex cognitive functions requiring broad spatial integration and long-term temporal regulation. Astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes all have biological properties that could influence learning and cognition. Myelination by oligodendrocytes increases conduction velocity, affecting spike timing and oscillations in neuronal activity. Astrocytes can modulate synaptic transmission and may couple multiple neurons and synapses into functional assemblies. Microglia can remove synapses in an activity-dependent manner altering neural networks. Incorporating glia into a bicellular mechanism of nervous system function may help answer long-standing questions concerning the cellular mechanisms of learning and cognition.
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health, NICHD, Bethesda, MD, USA fieldsd@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: R Douglas
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.affiliation: Instituto Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Araque
authors.affiliation: Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Johansen-Berg
authors.affiliation: National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Soo-Siang
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Gottingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus-Armin
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Nave
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Maiken
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nedergaard
authors.affiliation: Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Terrence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sejnowski
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wake
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: astrocyte; memory; microglia; myelin; neuron–glia interactions; oligodendrocyte; synaptic plasticity