Fatty diets and obesity affect the structure and function of astrocytes, the star-shaped brain cells located in the striatum, ...

Parasitic tapeworm larvae release glutamate and other excitatory molecules that can directly excite brain neurons.

Over time, the neighborhood falls into disrepair. A critical protein that MSNs need to stay alive, called DARPP-32, starts to ...

A microscopic parasite quietly infects the brains of millions worldwide. Known scientifically as Toxoplasma gondii, this tiny ...

Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite, is silently affects brain signaling - possibly altering neural balance even in people without ...

Normal Functions of Astrocytes. (1)Astrocyte functions include modulation of synaptic function via glutamate transporters, which convey glutamate from the synaptic cleft into the cell.

This evidence indicates that EAAT2 expressed in astrocytes—and probably also glutamate—influences the timing of disease onset and motor neuron survival. [35] ...

Of nine types of astrocytes they found in the hippocampus—a key memory region—one had the cellular machinery required to send glutamate signals.

The team investigated the possible astrocytic origin of glutamate release by introducing acetylcholine (Ach), a physiologically relevant stimulus for visual cortex astrocytes, and evaluated its ...

How A New Brain Cell's Discovery Could Shake Up Neuroscience Research What do you get if you cross a neuron with an astrocyte? A bunch more questions, apparently.

New cell type displays the characteristics of an astrocyte and expresses the molecular machinery necessary for synaptic transmission.

In some mice, they disrupted the astrocytes’ ability to soak up the neurotransmitter glutamate, a chemical that excites neural activity when it is received at connections called synapses.