Glial scar brain and spinal cord. FGF2 has also been shown to increase astrocyte proliferation "in vitro". Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a cytosolic protein that is not secreted. CNTF has been shown to promote the survival of neuronal cultures "in vitro", and it can also act as a differentiator and trophic factor on glial cells. Further, CNTF has been previously shown to affect the differentiation of glial precursor cells "in vitro"; however, the influence of CNTF in the "in vivo" setting has only recently been determined. Winter "et al." used CNTF over-expressing transgenic mice as well as wildtype controls that had
Satellite glial cell will also be explored in order to determine the effect of these conditions. Additionally, the mechanisms behind neuronal-SGC communication is essentially unidentified, though it is likely that the various receptors both the neurons and SGCs have are used for chemical signaling, perhaps with P2Y. Ca and NO and their effects must also be observed to gain further understanding of interactions between the two types of cells. Finally, the possibility of an influence of SGCs on synaptic transmission within autonomic ganglia provides another direction for future research. Satellite glial cell Satellite glial cells are glial cells that cover the surface of