Star-shaped astrocytes wear many hats: they nourish neurons, mop up neurotransmitters, form the blood-brain barrier, and help maintain and prune synapses.
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Image by Khuloud T. Al-Jamal, Serene Tay & Michael Cicirko. CC-BY. 4.0
About the Author
Calli McMurray is the Media & Science Writing Associate at SfN. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience.
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References
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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