medicine cabinets
the other brain from dementia to schizophrenia how new discoveries about the brain are revolutionizing medicine and science
despite everything that has been written about the brain a very important part of this vital organ has been overlooked in most books until now . the other brain is the story of glia which make up approximately 85 percent of the cells in the brain . long neglected as little more than cerebral packing material glia means glue glia are sparking a revolution in brain science . p glia are completely different from neurons the brain cells that we are familiar with . scientists are discovering that glia have their own communication network which operates in parallel to the more familiar communication among neurons . glia provide the insulation for the neurons and glia even regulate the flow of information between neurons . p but it is the potential breakthroughs for medical science that are the most exciting frontier in glia research today . diseases such as brain cancer and multiple sclerosis are caused by diseased glia . glia are now believed to play an important role in such psychiatric illnesses as schizophrenia and depression and in neurodegenerative diseases such as parkinsons and alzheimers . they are linked to infectious diseases such as hiv and prion disease mad cow disease for example and to chronic pain . scientists have discovered that glia repair the brain and spinal cord after injury and stroke . the more we learn about these cells that make up the other brain the more important they seem to be . p written by a neuroscientist who is a leader in the research to reveal the secrets of these brain cells the other brain offers a firsthand account of science in action . it takes us into the laboratories where important discoveries are being made and it explains how scientists are learning that glial cells come in different types with different capabilities . it tells the story of glia research from its origins to the most recent discoveries and gives readers a much more complete understanding of how the brain works and where the next breakthroughs in brain science and medicine are likely to come . p