Scientists have discovered a way to help the brain clean itself of harmful Alzheimer’s plaques by activating its own support cells. By increasing a protein called Sox9, researchers were able to boost ...

Brain cells named for stars are finally getting their time to shine. Three distinct studies, published May 15 in Science, show that astrocytes, once thought of as support cells, powerfully shape how ...

Discovery that astrocyte networks shrink and reroute after a loss of sensory signals suggests they may be shaped by experience.

Webs of star-shaped cells called astrocytes connect distant parts of the brain, allowing long-distance exchange of molecules.

Every stroke begins with a sudden interruption of blood flow in the brain. But what happens afterward—why neurons continue to ...

Astrocytes are found throughout the brain. Each astrocyte is in contact with several neurons and more than 100'000 synapses. A new study shows that, at the microscopic level, dozens of synapses from ...

Past neuroscience studies found that when the central nervous system (CNS) is damaged, for instance following a stroke or spinal cord injuries, the lesions become surrounded by borders of newly ...

For more than a century, the story of the brain has been told as a tale of neurons, with every thought and memory traced to their electrical chatter. That narrative is now being rewritten as evidence ...

A collaborative French–Swiss study reveals a previously unknown role for astrocytes in the brain's information processing. Published in the journal Cell, the research shows that these glial cells are ...