In an article published in 2018, The Atlantic described Dr. Ben Barres’s work:
“While most of his fellow neuroscientists studied neurons, the branching cells that carry electrical signals through the brain, Barres focused his attention on another group of cells called glia. Even though they equal neurons in number, glia were long dismissed as the brain’s support crew—there simply to provide nutrients or structural scaffolding. But Barres showed that glia are stars in their own right. They help neurons to mature, producing the connections that are the basis for learning and memory, and then pruning those connections so that the most useful ones remain.”

Dr. Barres forever changed our understanding of the brain. “The intellectual horsepower, innovative turn of mind and humanity Ben brought to some of the world’s seemingly intractable medical mysteries had us all in awe. The world has lost an exceptional human being,” said Tim Armour, President and CEO of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.