NIH R01 · 2025
Atypical astrocytes in aging and Alzheimer's Disease
SUMMARY. Astrocytes control neurotransmission, contribute to the blood-brain-barrier (BBB), and shape inflammatory responses. In healthy aging, many aspects of astrocyte function are altered but what drives aging-related changes is not well understood. Here, we present exciting preliminary data that during normal aging, astrocytes take on a novel phenotype in which progressively more astrocytes lose the expression of key functional proteins. We refer to these as atypical astrocytes (AtAs). AtAs lack expression of excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs: GLT-1 and GLAST), that remove glutamate from the extracellular space, Kir4.1, which mediates extracellular potassium (K+) buffering, and…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.