Other diseases of the CNS

Neuroglia contribute to all neurological diseases through a variety of mechanisms. In epilepsy and migraine, deficient K+ buffering and glutamate clearance triggers and exacerbates seizures and migraine attacks. To varying degrees, aberrant oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and reactive microglia contribute to white matter damage in leukodystrophies. Decreased astrocytic glutamate buffering is responsible for cognitive symptoms of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Similarly, toxic encephalopathies are mainly caused by deficient astrocytic glutamate uptake. In Down syndrome, as well as in other neurodevelopmental disorders, premature gliogenesis and differentiation of astrocytes seem to play the leading role.