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Glial Cells Do More Than Hold Brain Together

Cutting-Edge Research in Mechanosensation at Utica College

Written By Gino Geruntino '10, PR Intern

Contact - cleogrande@utica.edu

Utica, NY (10/26/2009) - Centuries ago, it was common for doctors and scientists to believe that the nervous system was in control of all functions of the human body. Even famous medical geniuses, such as Galen, a father of modern medicine and the first to take a pulse, felt that the ventricles inside the brain were the most important part of the body. However, in light of new scientific research, this reasoning is flawed.
  
Adam Pack, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at UC, will present the results of his research, “Glial Cells Play a Critical Role in Sensory Processes in the Ear and Skin.” This in-depth discussion will highlight the role that glia - the Greek word for "glue" - play in the human body. Previously, glial cells were known as insulators and support structures for the nervous system, while also taking care of some cleaning functions. Yet, various studies indicate that glia not only play an active role in memory, but that an increase in glia can also affect intelligence. Such is the case with Albert Einstein’s brain: when Einstein’s brain was compared to an average brain, they only differed in the amount of glia found. 
  
Pack and his students have found several roles that glia perform in mechanosensation (using mechanical stimuli, mostly through touch and hearing) in human and animal subjects. What they found was that glia work to relieve noise-induced hearing loss by stiffening up when a loud noise occurs. They have also done research in the adaptation rate of touch receptors through direct communication with the neurons as the various stimuli change.
  
With all of the information gathered, scientists can re-evaluate the role of glia both in their healthy and diseased states, helping to better determine the function of these special sensory organs.
  
This event is a part of the Nexus series presented by Utica College, and is free and open to the public. Glial Cells Play a Critical Role in Sensory Processes in the Ear and Skin will be presented Friday, Oct. 30 at 2:30 p.m. in the Willard Conference Room, located in DePerno Hall. Refreshments will be served prior to the event. 
  
For more information, call (315) 792-3028, or visit www.utica.edu/culture.

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