A new finding on star-shaped cells called astrocytes could lead to future treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer's and schizophrenia. Click the link to read more.
. This finding could lead to innovative treatments for conditions like schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.Astrocytes are an abundant group of brain cells that outnumber neurons by over five folds. Studies havethat in addition to supporting neurons, they also regulate neurotransmitters, respond to injury and help the brain heal.
But sometimes, “the most exciting things come from data that don't make any sense,” says Dulla. His team encountered such a scenario a few years ago when they were studying a neurotransmitter called glutamate, which is a naturally occurring molecule that neurons use to send signals to other cells. They found that during neuronal activity, the removal of glutamate molecules from the nerve terminals occurred very slowly.
Researchers dissected the brain, kept it alive in a dish, and sliced it into thin sections that could still receive nutrients and oxygen. The team then focused a microscope on a slice, lit it up, and took pictures of the astrocyte to observe changes in the fluorescent protein’s brightness. By analyzing changes in light and brightness, they could measure the electrical activity of the astrocytes.
Astrocytes operate as a network system that can be compared to a power grid with identical voltages. Variation in voltages within an astrocyte network can also explain the basic and advanced levels of brain function. “The technical breakthrough made in this paper, through the use of innovative tools [...] confirms past speculations,” says Min Zhou, a neuroscientist at Ohio State University.