Brain Byte

Astrocytes

  • Published30 Nov 2020
  • Author Calli McMurray
  • Source BrainFacts/SfN

Star-shaped astrocytes wear many hats: they nourish neurons, mop up neurotransmitters, form the blood-brain barrier, and help maintain and prune synapses.

Brain Bytes showcase essential facts about neuroscience.

Astrocyte brain byte
Design by A. Tong

Design by Adrienne Tong.

Image by Khuloud T. Al-Jamal, Serene Tay & Michael Cicirko. CC-BY. 4.0

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BrainFacts/SfN

Sofroniew, M. V., & Vinters, H. V. (2010). Astrocytes: Biology and pathology. Acta Neuropathologica, 119(1), 7–35. doi: 10.1007/s00401-009-0619-8

Kubotera, H., Ikeshima-Kataoka, H., Hatashita, Y., Allegra Mascaro, A. L., Pavone, F. S., & Inoue, T. (2019). Astrocytic endfeet re-cover blood vessels after removal by laser ablation. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1263. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37419-4

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