Astrocyte Morphogenesis Requires Self-Recognition

‘Silent’ cells play a surprising role in how brains work

New studies show that astrocytes, long thought to be support cells in the brain, are crucial intermediaries for relaying messages to neurons.

Astrocyte morphogenesis requires self-recognition

Self-recognition is a fundamental cellular process across evolution and forms the basis of neuronal self-avoidance1–4. Clustered protocadherin (cPcdh) proteins, which comprise a large family of isoform-specific homophilic recognition molecules, have a pivotal role in the neuronal self-avoidance that is required for mammalian brain development5–7. The probabilistic expression of different cPcdh isoforms confers unique identities on neurons and fo…

Overlooked cells might explain the human brain’s huge storage capacity - Scientific Inquirer

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. The brain also contains billions of astrocytes — star-shaped cells with many long extensions that allow them to interact with millions of neurons. Although they have long been thought to be mainly supportive cells, recent studies have suggested tha…