New studies show that astrocytes, also known as support cells or “silent cells,” have a larger impact on brain function than previously assumed. Previously, astrocytes were thought to provide a suppor ...

A microscopic parasite quietly infects the brains of millions worldwide. Known scientifically as Toxoplasma gondii, this tiny invader silently alters brain function without obvious symptoms. Beneath ...

We will begin by highlighting a subset of the many cellular functions of astrocytes, focusing specifically on those functions that have the most relevance to neurodegeneration (Figure 1). Other ...

Creative Commons (CC): This is a Creative Commons license. Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the creator. Cerebral dysfunctions give rise to a wide range of neurological diseases due to the ...

Ischemic injury is traditionally viewed from an axiomatic perspective of neuronal loss. Yet the ischemic infarct encompasses all cell types, including astrocytes. This review will discuss the idea ...

The potential effects of astrocyte dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases are summarized in Figure 2. AD is characterized clinically by cognitive loss in two or more domains, including memory, ...

Version of Record: This is the final version of the article. The study characterized the cellular and molecular mechanisms of spike timing-dependent long-term depression (t-LTD) at the synapses ...

The latticework of extracellular protein that surrounds brain cells forms a particularly dense mesh around fast-spiking interneurons. Why do these cells need such thick coats? In the July 17 Nature ...

Diana Martinez, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), has received two grants totaling about $890,000 from the ...

When we learn something new, our brain cells (neurons) communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. If the same group of neurons communicate together often, the connections ...

Laboratory of Cellular Neuroscience and Plasticity, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, ES-41013 Seville, Spain The study characterized the cellular and ...