Resting brain stem cells hardly differ from normal astrocytes, which support the nerve cells in the brain. How can almost identical cells perform such different functions? The key lies in the ...

Astrocytes are star shaped cells that make up around 35% of human brain cells. They were once thought of as cells that simply supported neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). But in recent years ...

As a neuromodulator, norepinephrine is a powerful force in the brain. We all know it orchestrates rapid changes in behavior such as the fight-or-flight response. Fewer people know that astrocytes ...

The human brain contains about 86 billion neurons. These cells fire electrical signals that help the brain store memories and send information and commands throughout the brain and the nervous system.

A new platform for screening astrocyte reactivity helps researchers uncover potential therapeutic interventions to treat neurodegenerative conditions. Led by postdoctoral researcher Benjamin Clayton, ...

Astrocytes, the predominant glial population in the human central nervous system, play crucial roles in neuroprotection, immunity, and homeostasis. However, when exposed to certain neuroinflammatory ...

To enjoy the scent of morning coffee and freshly baked cookies or to perceive the warning smell of something burning, the brain needs two types of cells, neurons and astrocytes, to work closely with ...

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have unraveled the processes that give astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell in the brain, their special bushy shape, which is fundamental for brain ...

As neuronal supporters and immune surveyors, astrocytes and microglia are no mere bystanders to the neuronal mayhem that unfolds in Alzheimer’s disease. At the AD/PD meeting, held March 5-9 in Lisbon, ...

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have upended decades-old dogma of how connections between brain cells are rearranged during states of heightened vigilance or ...