Glutamate-mediated astrocyte-neuron communication in brain physiology and pathology

The presence of astrocytes in nervous tissue was initially thought to reflect the necessity of a mechanical supporting system for neurons, a sort of aspecific glue keeping neuronal cells together. If this were the case, the human brain would exhibit the best set of neuronal packing ever seen throughout the phylogenetic tree. Evolution, however, does not deal with glues.