Its [mylelin insulation] growth enables a baby to gradually hold up its head, and its destruction by diseases such as multiple sclerosis causes severe impairment" (Chen 2009). Researchers have also found that both brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease may be the result of problems with glia cells. Clearly, glia "are more than mere support cells that cater to the needs of neurons" and a "dynamic dialogue between glia and neurons takes place," contrary to what was once thought (Glia guide brain development in worms, 2008, Virtual Worlds).

In the case of the worm that had its glia removed, dendrites or communication receptors "were dramatically shortened and their axons, unable to branch to their expected locations, failed to make the right connections. Moreover, the team showed that neurons located closer to the removed glia have a more abnormal pattern of axon branching compared to those farther away,...
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