radial glia
Brain's cellular ladders
Radial glia are elongated cells in the developing nervous system that serve as scaffolding for migrating neurons.
These cells stretch from the inner to outer surface of the neural tube, and newborn neurons climb along them like vines on a trellis to reach their final positions.
Once considered mere structural support, radial glia are now known to be neural stem cells that generate neurons and other glial cells.
Radial glia guide cortical development in the embryonic brain.
- migrationMovement to new territory
- scaffoldTemporary elevated work structure
- cortexOrgan's external tissue
- neurogenesisNew nerve cell formation
- progenitorAncestor or originator
spindle-shaped · cell body · differentiation · developing brain · brain development · proliferation · apical · neurons · embryonic · cerebellum · guidance · inside out · self-renewal
- nerve cellsneuron, nerve cell, brain cell, axon, dendrite
- neurodevelopmentneural tube, neurogenesis, neuroblast, neuroblasts, neural tube defects
- gliaastrocyte, astrocytes, microglia, glioma, glioblastoma
- glial cellsastrocytes, microglia
- neuroprogenitorsneuroblasts
- astrocytes