Functional Modeling of Neural-Glial Interaction

During recent years the importance of neuro-glial interactions for the maintenance of the normal function of the central and peripheral nervous systems has been fully recognized [10, 8]. The restricted perspective on the role of the glial cells to provide only metabolic support and uptake of K+ions and neurotransmitters no longer agrees with data that reveal their participation in synaptic transmission, long-term potentiation, synaptic plasticity, and the development of neuronal pathologies. As a result the new concept of the “tripartite synapse” has emerged [23], and studies of the interaction between the neurons and glial cells have become an important area of neurophysiology and cell biophysics.