"It is known that astrocytes are a heterogeneous cell type in their molecular and gene expression signatures, morphology and origin," Marta Navarrete, senior author of the paper, told Medical Xpress.

S cientists have discovered that a specific type of brain cell, called an astrocyte, may be a key player in how cannabis influences the developing brain. Their new research in mice, published in ...

Astrocytes are the largest and most prevalent type of glial cell in the central nervous system. Astrocytes contribute to formation of the blood–brain barrier, participate in the maintenance of ...

Dementia is a serious condition that affects millions of people worldwide, leading to memory loss, confusion, and ...

A potential brain repair reservoir The study identified two distinct types of cortical white matter astrocytes. One is more widely distributed throughout the brain and has been evolutionarily ...

Meanwhile, the second type performed a function that was previously unheard of for an astrocyte in the white matter — it had a unique ability to proliferate, thus making new astrocytes.

In a recent study published in PNAS, Zhang showed that the transcription factor DLX2 can convert astrocytes into progenitors that produce various cell types, including neurons. 3 These findings ...