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Nature 426, 25-26 (6 November 2003) | doi:10.1038/426025a

Neurobiology: Signals that make waves

Louis F. Reichardt1

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Neurons in the brain release proteins called neurotrophins, which bind to glial cells and unleash a wave of calcium ions inside them. This could be the missing link in a communication circuit between glia and neurons.

Our brains contain billions of nerve cells, woven together in an intricate network. But another class of brain cells, glial cells, vastly outnumbers the neurons.