Beyond the Neuron: The Integrated Role of Glia in Psychiatric Disorders

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This review summarizing glial-brain participation in five common psychiatric disorders is interesting; however, some points need to be clarified:

1. The author uses some hyperbolic concepts to describe simple interactions (e.g. “illuminated” L6, 473,589, etc.; “narrative” review L70 (?); “govern” L55; “regulating” L145, 239).
2. The section 6 describes the potential studies that can give fair information on glial physiology into the complex issue of mental disorders, particularly L573-581. I think that this section adequately describes the incipient knowledge of glial participation in psychiatric diseases.
3. Rather than “Beyond the neuron:”, the title should indicate Glial intervention in complex mental abnormalities, not to give the message of an independent participation which is not supported by current research.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

No comments.

Author Response

Comment 1:
"The author uses some hyperbolic concepts to describe simple interactions (e.g., 'illuminated' L6, 473, 589, etc.; 'narrative' review L70 (?); 'govern' L55; 'regulating' L145, 239)." 

Response:
Thank you for your suggestion. To ensure a more neutral and precise academic tone, we have carefully revised the text, replacing terms that could be perceived as overly emphatic. For instance, "illuminated" was replaced with "highlighted," "govern" with "modulate," and "regulating" with "involved in" where appropriate. However, we have maintained the term "narrative review", as it correctly describes the type of review conducted and is a commonly used designation in academic literature.

 

Comment 2:
"The section 6 describes the potential studies that can give fair information on glial physiology into the complex issue of mental disorders, particularly L573-581. I think that this section adequately describes the incipient knowledge of glial participation in psychiatric diseases."

Response:
We appreciate your positive feedback regarding Section 6. This section was intended to acknowledge the emerging nature of glial research in psychiatric disorders while highlighting current knowledge gaps. No modifications were necessary based on this comment.

Comment 3:
"Rather than 'Beyond the neuron:', the title should indicate Glial intervention in complex mental abnormalities, not to give the message of an independent participation which is not supported by current research."

Response:
We agree with your suggestion and have revised the title to "Beyond the Neuron: The Integrated Role of Glia in Psychiatric Disorders." This new title clarifies that glial cells play a role in conjunction with neuronal processes, rather than acting independently, which aligns with current evidence. The phrase "Beyond the Neuron" is retained to emphasize the need to expand traditional neuron-centric models without diminishing their importance.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The topic described in this review is so large that it cannot be described in its completness.

The author should try to organize the results shown under Point 4 in more detail, i.e. data obtained from imaging, from CSF/serum anlysis and from postmorten brain.

Is it necessary to write in the headings like 4.1. Neuroglia. Glia is the main topic

 

Author Response

Comment 1:
"The topic described in this review is so large that it cannot be described in its completeness."

Response:
We acknowledge that the scope of this review is broad. However, this was an intentional decision to provide a comprehensive perspective on how glial alterations may contribute to multiple psychiatric disorders, rather than focusing on a single condition. This approach allows for a better understanding of shared and distinct glial mechanisms across disorders, as well as potential interrelationships among them. A narrower focus would have provided greater depth on a single condition but at the cost of overlooking broader integrative insights.

 

Comment 2:
"The author should try to organize the results shown under Point 4 in more detail, i.e., data obtained from imaging, from CSF/serum analysis, and from postmortem brain."

Response:
To improve clarity and organization, we have implemented a summary table (Table 2) that categorizes findings based on the methodological approach (neuroimaging, CSF/serum biomarkers, and postmortem brain studies). This allows readers to quickly compare different sources of evidence before delving into disorder-specific discussions in later sections. We believe this adjustment enhances the structure and flow of the review.

 

Comment 3:
"Is it necessary to write in the headings like 4.1. Neuroglia? Glia is the main topic."

Response:
We agree with this point and have revised the section headings accordingly. Instead of repeating "Neuroglia" in every heading, we now use disorder-focused titles (e.g., "Major Depression Disorder," "Bipolar Disorder," "Anxiety Disorders") to improve readability while maintaining clarity.