Albert Einstein and
the Glial Cell
Neurones constitute only about
15% of the human brain – the rest
of the brain’s volume is taken up by
cells known as glial cells. The word
‘glia’ derives from ‘glue’ - they were
until quite recently thought to be
simply a form of structural material
supporting neurones, or a form of
neural glue.
Recent science has discovered
that glial cells play major roles in
providing neurones with energy,
and have a large number of complex roles in cerebral metabolism.
Indeed they are emerging as the
real smart brain cells – they monitor and modulate neural transmission and regulate synaptic metabolism. In addition they talk with one
another by calcium waves across
major brain regions – a kind of
cerebral broadband communication
system not dissimilar to smartphones. Professor Marion Diamond
at the University of Berkeley examined two vital regions in Einstein’s
brain, the prefrontal cortex and the
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inferior parietal region. She found
a higher ratio of glial cells to neurones compared with other brains
– an index of higher energy processing and of advanced cerebral
communication. The ratio of glia
to neurones, as opposed to neurone number, is now known to be
an index of evolutionary advance.
It seems there may be a selective
advantage to having a smaller,
smarter brain, and that Einstein
expressed this. However, modern
humans are now rapidly shrinking
the brain. This process has been
underway for at least a century
and has dramatically accelerated
in the past half century – since
we increased our consumption of
refined carbohydrates and sugars.
The glial cell is at the centre of
this toxic and devastating degeneration.