The difference between an old brain and a young brain isn't so much the number of neurons but the presence and function of supporting cells called glia. In Cell Reports on January 10/2017, researchers who examined postmortem brain samples from 480 individuals ranging in age from 16 to 106 found that the state of someone's glia is so consistent through the years that it can be used to predict someone's age. The work lays the foundation to better understand glia's role in late-in-life brain disease.
Differences between neuron and glia:
Neuron:
1. These are structural and functional units of nervous tissue.
2. They contain Nissl’s granules.
3. They contain axons.
4. They are responsible for transmission.
Glia:
1. These are supporting cells of nervous tissue.
2. Nissl’s granules are absent.
3. Axons are absent.
4. They form packaging media between nerve cells in brain and spinal chord. They provide nutrition to neurons.
Source:https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/130214.php
Paperhttp://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(16)31684-9
Image:
This graphic depicts the numbers and function of glia and neurons in the aging human brain
Credit: Lilach Soreq
Corina Marinescu
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