巴瑞斯的研究发现,神经胶质细胞对于大脑突触可塑性和预防神经退行性失调症有至关重要的作用,这一发现让神经胶质细胞从配角摇身成为舞台明星。在过去25年里,本·巴瑞斯(Ben Barres)关于神经胶质细胞的研究成果从根本上改观了人们对于神经胶质细胞的印象。通过巴瑞斯的研究,这些在过去被认为只具有支持和结构功能的非常丰富的非神经元细胞(胶质细胞英文glia在希腊语中意为“胶水”) Barres’s study found that glial cells play a crucial role in the synaptic plasticity of the brain and in the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders, a finding that has enabled glia to evolve from a supporting role to becoming a stage star. For the past 25 years, Ben Barres’s research on glial cells fundamentally changed the way people think about glial cells. Through Barrett’s research, these very rich non-neuronal cells that were previously thought to have only supportive and structural functions (glioblastoma glia means “gummy” in Greek)