

Scientists Enhance Intelligence of Mice with Human Brain Cells - alexwg
http://io9.com/5988969/scientists-enhance-intelligence-of-mice-with-human-brain-cells

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jkimmel
It's great that this study has gotten so much attention in the general press
(NPR story, prominent placement in Cell Stem Cell). Given the forum though,
I'd like to point out that the idea that glia are of equal (or greater)
importance to neurons is by no means new.

For years, it has been known that the number of neurons changes very little
between lower-level mammals and humans, while the ratio of neurons:glia
changes dramatically. We've also identified that direct mesenchymal stem cell
(MSC) injection increased rodent cognition, and MSCs are known to
differentiate almost entirely into glia in the presence of neurotrophic
factors, such as in the CNS environment. Even base neuronal morphology changes
little between mammalian species, while astrocytic morphology is readily
distinguishable between species.

tl;dr - Nice to see it all come together, but I like to be pedantic and
discuss where the impetus for this experiment came from.

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D_Alex
>where the impetus for this experiment came from...?

Seems clear to me that the ultimate purpose is to lower the cost of white-
collar workers.

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