Astrocyte News and Research

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Hemoglobin emerges as a natural antioxidant defense in the brain

Did you know the same protein that gives blood its red color and carries oxygen throughout the body is also present inside brain cells? Hemoglobin, long celebrated for ferrying oxygen in red blood cells, has now been revealed to play an overlooked - and potentially game-changing - antioxidant role in the brain.

22 Aug 2025

Scientists uncover new brain mechanism driving PTSD and potential counter-drug

Did you know that patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often struggle to forget traumatic memories, even long after the danger has passed? This failure to extinguish fear memories has long puzzled scientists and posed a major hurdle for treatment, especially since current medications targeting serotonin receptors offer limited relief for only a subset of patients.

29 Jul 2025

Astrocytes play key role in coordinating neurons for visual information

Cells called astrocytes are about as abundant in the brain as neurons, but scientists have spent much less time figuring out how they contribute to brain functions.

22 Jul 2025

Astrocytes influence metabolism and cognitive function in obesity

Fatty diets and obesity affect the structure and function of astrocytes, the star-shaped brain cells located in the striatum, a brain region involved in the perception of pleasure generated by food consumption.

7 Jul 2025

Research reveals how a microscopic parasite disrupts brain function

A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside, explains in a paper published in PLOS Pathogens how a microscopic parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, can significantly disrupt brain function, even when it infects only a small number of neurons.

19 Jun 2025

Understanding the role of astrocytes in depression and neuroinflammation

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental health condition that negatively affects the mood of a person and causes a loss of interest in activities that were previously associated with happiness.

13 Jun 2025

Exercise targets specific brain cells to protect against Alzheimer’s

Using advanced single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and a widely used preclinical model for Alzheimer's disease, researchers from Mass General Brigham and collaborators at SUNY Upstate Medical University have identified specific brain cell types that responded most to exercise.

12 Jun 2025

Astrocytes may contribute to memory storage in the brain

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.

27 May 2025

Targeting astrocytes could boost immunotherapy effectiveness in glioblastoma

Our study investigated the role of astrocytes, an abundant cell type in the brain, in regulating an immune response against glioblastoma (GBM)-a highly aggressive brain cancer.

23 May 2025

Astrocytes found to drive brain rewiring during attention states

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 attention.

15 May 2025

New micropipette allows precise ion delivery to individual brain cells

Researchers at Linköping University have developed a new type of pipette that can deliver ions to individual neurons without affecting the sensitive extracellular milieu.

7 May 2025

Machine learning provide new insights into how the brain responds to heroin use

Object recognition software is used by law enforcement to help identify suspects, by self-driving cars to navigate roadways and by many consumers to unlock their cell phones or pay for their morning coffee.

30 Apr 2025

Age and sex shape Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers, study finds

ESTHER study found that non-modifiable factors like age, sex, and APOE ε4 status significantly influence blood biomarker levels linked to Alzheimer’s disease. GFAP and NfL levels, in particular, showed strong age- and sex-related patterns, with GFAP levels rising faster in women.

22 Apr 2025

$2.17 million NIH grant awarded to investigate cranial osteopathic manipulation for brain injury recovery

Could applying a little pressure to the head be a game changer for the treatment of traumatic brain injury?

17 Mar 2025

New brain map reveals insights into multiple sclerosis development

NIH study reveals key players underlying disease onset and repair.

27 Feb 2025

How immune cells and neurons secretly shape brain health, behavior, and disease

Scientists explore how the immune and nervous systems constantly communicate, influencing brain diseases, behavior, and repair while shaping responses to environmental factors like sleep, diet, and pollution.

13 Feb 2025

Does COVID increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease?

COVID-19, even in mild cases, is linked to changes in Alzheimer’s disease-related brain biomarkers comparable to four years of aging. This study raises concerns about long-term neurological risks and cognitive decline post-COVID.

2 Feb 2025

University of Oklahoma researcher leads efforts to unravel mysteries of cognitive decline

An estimated 76,000 Oklahomans are living with Alzheimer's disease, a number that has surged by 13% in just five years. Yet, despite the increasing need for effective treatments, therapies for age-related dementia have largely failed to slow or halt the disease's progression.

29 Jan 2025