Astrocytes — named for their star-like shape — are a type of brain cell as abundant as neurons in the central nervous system, ...

Little-known cells might be key to human brain’s massive memory A new model suggests that astrocytes might be used in computation, coordinating with neurons and connecting synapses in networks.

Astrocytes: The Brain’s Overlooked Supercomputers Originally thought to be little more than the janitors of the brain clearing trash, feeding neurons, and preserving chemical balance, astrocytes ...

Astrocytes are star shaped cells that make up around 35% of human brain cells. They were once thought of as cells that simply supported neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). But in recent years ...

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 ...

A newly discovered brain circuit recruits brain cells called astrocytes to calm overactive neurons to produce a calming and relaxing effect.

In those critters, NE spurred calcium signaling in astrocytes, which, in turn, skewed dopaminergic neuron activity and behavior (Ma et al., 2016). Still, the extent to which astrocytes were necessary ...

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.

Researchers have discovered that astrocytes, the most abundant cells in the brain, play a direct role in the regulation of adult neuronal circuits involved in learning and memory.

Resting brain stem cells hardly differ from normal astrocytes, which support the nerve cells in the brain. How can almost identical cells perform such different functions? The key lies in the ...