![]() The vertebrate nervous system can also be divided into areas called grey matter ('gray matter' in American spelling) and white matter. Recent findings indicate that glial cells, such as microglia and astrocytes, serve as important resident immune cells within the central nervous system. A very important type of glial cell (oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system, and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system) generates layers of a fatty substance called myelin that wraps around axons and provides electrical insulation which allows them to transmit action potentials much more rapidly and efficiently. ![]() ![]() Among the most important functions of glial cells are to support neurons and hold them in place to supply nutrients to neurons to insulate neurons electrically to destroy pathogens and remove dead neurons and to provide guidance cues directing the axons of neurons to their targets.
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