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  • BBC Science Focus Magazine

    Using magnets to influence the brain could lead to revolutionary new depression treatment

    Mar 16, 2022 4 minutes

    DR YICHAO YU AND PROF MARK LYTHGOE

    Neuroscientists

    YOUR TECHNIQUE FOCUSED ON ASTROCYTES. WHAT EXACTLY ARE THEY?

    Yichao Yu: They’re a type of glial cell [non-neuronal cells that are found in the brain and spinal cord]. They’re very abundant, they outnumber neurons [nerve cells] many times over. Traditionally they’re viewed as support cells, they recycle the neurotransmitters that neurons release. They do many logistical maintenance jobs in the brain. But in recent years, as we’ve learnt more about these cells, we’ve found that they have many other functions, such as regulating cognitive behaviour.

    : For the last hundred years they’ve been the second-class citizen in the brain in terms of cells. Neurons

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