Recently, after I submitted my article, the reviewer mentioned that "in the brain, the ratio of neurons to glial cells is 1:1", but I also checked the relevant literature, and there is also a statement that shows that neurons: glial cells = 1:10. Is there any professional who can provide me with more reliable data from the literature?
Hi Zhang Song
Recent articles have shown that the neurons to glia ratio is 1:1 debunking the old data of glia:neuron ratio of 10:1. While it may change from region to regions throughout the brain.
Please check the following articles which explain the same in detail.
* https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0891061817300601?via%3Dihub
* Article The Search for True Numbers of Neurons and Glial Cells in th...
Thank you,
Thank you so much for sharing! I've also recently reviewed the literature on the subject and found that in recent years there has been a recent claim that neurons:glial cells = 1:1, but which is currently the dominant claim in academia? Is it still the old previous statement of 1:10? Or is it the new 1:1?
All good comments.
The average ratio of neurons to glia in human brain is indeed closer to 1:1. However, this number is misleading because the brain region-specific ratios vary a lot. A good SHORT read on this topic is a chapter by Alexei Verkhratsky et al. "The Concept of Neuroglia". It is freely available in PMC:
Chapter The Concept of Neuroglia