Modern Discoveries in Neuroscience... And What They Reveal About You (Collection)

2. Dust settles on the battlefield

Until recently, our imagination and thoughts were believed to reside entirely in neurons. Glia, the most abundant cells in the brain, were considered inactive—a buffer to the electrical neuronal firing of our secrets and dreams. The contrived creation of neuronal supremacy appeared somewhere at the turn of the twentieth century after the widespread use of the microscope. At this time, the neuron was considered the crowning achievement of brain research throughout human history. What glial cells did, or how they functioned, was undermined and barely considered, with only slight hesitation, when the preeminent brain scientist at the time adopted his brother’s idea that they were insignificant. Looking far back ...