Neuromagnetic dialogue between neuronal minicolumns and astroglial network: A new approach for memory and cerebral computation

Rapidly accumulating experimental data over the past two decades discloses extremely complex neuro-glial interactions and provides new insights regarding novel roles of glial cells, particularly astrocytes, in complex functions. Widespread astrocytic processes, interconnected by gap junctions, form an extremely large physiological syncytium. This structure in conjunction with neuronal activity, very likely contributes to cognitive functions. Based on electrophysiological and neuroanatomical data, the present hypothesis proposes a self-organised, iterative and reciprocal magnetic interaction between neurones and astrocytes to explain neurocomputation, including memory processing, in the human neocortex.