Mice lacking epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) develop a neurodegeneration of unknown etiology affecting exclusively the frontal cortex and olfactory bulbs. Here, we show that EGFR signaling controls cortical degeneration by regulating cortical astrocyte apoptosis. Whereas EGFR(-/-) midbrain astrocytes are unaffected, mutant cortical astrocytes display increased apoptosis mediated by an A...

Cannabinoid receptors play key roles in brain function, and cannabinoid effects in brain physiology and drug-related behavior are thought to be mediated by receptors present in neurons. Neuron-astrocyte communication relies on the expression by astrocytes of neurotransmitter receptors. Yet, the expression of cannabinoid receptors by astrocytes in situ and their involvement in the neuron-astrocy...

Astrocytes constitute the most abundant cell type in the central nervous system (CNS) and play diverse functional roles, but the ontogenetic origins of this phenotypic diversity are poorly understood. We have investigated whether positional identity, a fundamental organizing principle governing the generation of neuronal subtype diversity, is also relevant to astrocyte diversification. We ident...

Morphological alterations in astrocytes are characteristic for post mortem brains of patients affected by major depressive disorder (MDD). Recently, a significant reduction in the coverage of blood vessels (BVs) by aquaporin-4 (AQP-4)-positive astrocyte endfeet has been shown in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of MDD patients, suggesting that either alterations in the morphology of endfeet or in AQ...

OBJECTIVES The neuroprotective effect of lithium has been attributed to its therapeutic action. However, the role of glial cells particularly astrocytes, and the possible interactions between neurons and astrocytes in neuroprotective effects of lithium have been disregarded. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the direct effects of lithium on brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and...

In this article, we review studies of astrocytic-neuronal interactions and their effects on the activity of oxytocin (OXT) neurons within the magnocellular hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system. Previous work over several decades has shown that withdrawal of astrocyte processes increases OXT neuron excitability in the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON) during lactation. However, chronically di...

Brain edema, due largely to astrocyte swelling, and the subsequent increase in intracranial pressure and brain herniation, are major complications of acute liver failure (ALF). Elevated level of brain ammonia has been strongly implicated in the development of astrocyte swelling associated with ALF. The means by which ammonia brings about astrocyte swelling, however, is incompletely understood. ...

The neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) inhibits astrocyte proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and this effect is partially reversed by the glucocorticoid antagonist RU-486. The present studies have tested the hypothesis that N-CAM-mediated inhibition of astrocyte proliferation is caused by homophilic binding and involves the activation of glucocorticoid receptors. It was observed that all N-...

Abstract Background The dual inhibitors of receptor interacting protein kinase-1 and -3 (RIP1 RIP3) play an important role in cell death processes inflammatory responses. White matter injury (WMI), a leading cause neurodevelopmental disabilities preterm infants, which is characterized by extensive myelination disturbances demyelination. Neuroinflammation, leads to the loss differentiation-inhib...