This book focuses on the most recent tools unveiling the role of glial cells in brain function and dysfunction, especially involving epilepsy, ischemia, and glioma. It introduces this emerging field, herein called Glial Engineering, dealing with the development and application of technologies targeting glial cells, with a special focus on astrocytes. The latest glial cell research with biomaterials, gene modification, bioelectronic devices, and computational methods is highlighted. This is an ideal book for undergraduate and research students in tissue engineering, biomedical engineering, neural engineering, chemistry, biomaterials science, and regenerative medicine as well as researchers in the field of biophysics, neurophysiology, and neuroscience.
Astrocytes: multiscale molecular targets for glial engineering and
interfaces.- Aquaporin-4 in Astrocytes and Glial Cells: Structural Insights
and Functional Implications.- Studying the Role of Astrocytes in Ischemic
Acute Brain Slices.- Astrocytes and Potassium Homeostasis in the Central
Nervous System in Physiology and Epilepsy.- Genetic-designed tools to unveil
the role of astrocytes in neuronal circuits and animal behavior.- Novel
treatment options through light-based neurostimulation.- 3D cell-culture
systems to study astrocytic phenotypes: current strategies and future
perspectives.- Electro Fluid Dynamic Technologies to Engineer 3D Matrices for
Glial Cells in Brain.- The Effects of Matrix Mechanical Properties on Glia
Behavior.- Graphene-based materials: preparation and use in neuroscience.-
Glial Electrophysiology: Technologies for Extracellular Detection.- Flexible
and nanostructured electronics to dialogue with glia.
Valentina Benfenati, PhD, is Director of Research with the Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity, Department of Chemical Sciences and Materials Technologies, National Research Council, Bologna, Italy
Luca Maiolo, PhD, is Senior Researcher with the Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems, Department of Physical Sciences and Technologies of Matter, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
