As you read this, some 100 billion neurons are transmitting information through electrical and chemical signals via synapses in your brain.
Given the central role these cells play in neurological functioning, it's perhaps not surprising they typically hog the limelight — after all, the signals they transmit lie at the heart of human behavior, from the simplest of movements to the most complex of thoughts.
It's worth noting, however, that complementary cells called astrocytes actually outnumber neurons in the brain. Unfortunately, these star-shaped cells have largely been ignored in neurological research because they don't fire electrical impulses in the same way that neurons do. Yukiko Goda of the Riken Brain Science Institute in Saitama is helping to correct this.