Neuroglia

Glia are support cells of the nervous system, more numerous than the nerve cells themselves. In recent years it has been discovered that they have a far wider range of functions than was previously known, so this new book is very timely. This is a definitive work covering all aspects of glial cells including glial morphology, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, pathology and their involvement in the pathophysiology of neurological diseases. The book is written by leaders in the field of glial research and is carefully edited to ensure consistency and thoroughness in the treatment of each topic. A total of 69 chapters conveys in a highly readable fashion the excitement that pervades this rapidly expanding area of neurobiology. The enormous amount of new information about glial cells that is carefully summarized here leads to the inescapable realization that these cells interact importantly with neurons in all of the brain's main functions.

Helmut Kettenmann is at Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. Bruce R. Ransom is at Yale University.