The precise organization and arrangement of neural cells is essential for nervous system functionality. Cellular tiling is an evolutionarily conserved phenomenon that organizes neural cells, ensuring non-redundant coverage of receptive fields in the nervous system. First recorded in the drawings of Ramon y Cajal more than a century ago, we now have extensive knowledge of the biochemical and molecular mechanisms that mediate tiling of neurons. The advent of live imaging techniques in both invertebrate and vertebrate model organisms has enhanced our understanding of these processes. Despite advancements in our understanding of neuronal tiling, we know relatively little about how glia, an essential non-neuronal component of the nervous system, tile and contribute to the overall spatial arrangement of the nervous system. Here, we discuss lessons learned from neurons and apply them to potential mechanisms that glial cells may use to tile, including cell diversity, contact-dependent repulsion, and chemical signaling. We also discuss open questions in the field of tiling and what new technologies need to be developed in order to better understand glial tiling.

中文翻译：

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神经系统中的俄罗斯方块：神经元平铺的哪些原则可以告诉我们神经胶质如何玩游戏。

神经细胞的精确组织和排列对于神经系统功能至关重要。细胞平铺是一种进化上保守的现象，它组织神经细胞，确保神经系统中感受野的非冗余覆盖。一个多世纪前首次记录在 Ramon y Cajal 的图纸中，我们现在对介导神经元平铺的生化和分子机制有了广泛的了解。无脊椎动物和脊椎动物模型生物中实时成像技术的出现增强了我们对这些过程的理解。尽管我们对神经元平铺的理解有所进步，但我们对神经胶质（神经系统的重要非神经元组成部分）如何平铺并有助于神经系统的整体空间排列知之甚少。这里，我们讨论了从神经元中吸取的经验教训，并将其应用于神经胶质细胞可能用来平铺的潜在机制，包括细胞多样性、接触依赖性排斥和化学信号传导。我们还讨论了平铺领域的开放性问题，以及需要开发哪些新技术才能更好地了解胶质平铺。