UMinho / courtesy
New study examined the complex morphology and molecular diversity of these star-shaped cells.
Os astrocytes These are the cells that support the brain’s neurons. They are not just passive support structures: they accumulate previously underestimated functions that, for example, may vary according to the pathology or during its evolution.
A new one, led by João Filipe Oliveira, from ICVS/School of Medicine of the University of Minho, redefined the function of these star-shaped cells.
The work examined the complex morphology and molecular diversity of astrocytes – to understand their superior ability to communicate with remaining neurons and glial cells at multiple spatial scales, lying between the tens of nanometers and millimeters of brain tissue.
Its organization on multiple spatial and temporal scales suggests a central role in neuronal regulation and that appears to expand the capacity (degrees of freedom) of the brain to process information, read in .
Research associates them with key processes such as intracellular signaling, neurotransmitter balance and communication with neurons.
This new analysis of the organization and function of astrocytes could allow scientists to data neurological and psychiatric diseases (Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or depression).
The authors anticipate that their new conceptual framework will help guide research into healthy and pathological brain functioning.
