The role of glial cells in synaptic function

Glial cells represent the most abundant cell population in the central nerv ous system and for years they have been thought to provide just structural and trophic support to neurons. Recently, several studies were performed, l eading to the identification of an active interaction between glia and neur ons. This paper focuses on the role played by glial cells at the level of t he synapse, reviewing recent data defining how glia is determinant in synap togenesis, in the modulation of fully working synaptic contacts and in syna ptic plasticity.