#astrocyte

Astrocyte

The Brain Literally Starts Eating Itself When It Doesn't Get Enough Sleep

Holy crap.

The reason we sleep goes far beyond simply replenishing our energy levels every 12 hours - our brains actually change states when we sleep to clear away the toxic byproducts of neural activity left behind during the day.

Weirdly enough, the same process starts to occur in brains that are chronically sleep-deprived too - except it's kicked into hyperdrive. Researchers have found that persistently poor sleep causes the brain to clear a significant amount of neurons and synaptic connections, and recovering sleep might not be able to reverse the damage.

A team led by neuroscientist Michele Bellesi from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy has examined the mammalian brain's response to poor sleeping habits, and found a bizarre similarity between the well-rested and sleepless mice.

Like the cells elsewhere in your body, the neurons in your brain are being constantly refreshed by two different types of glial cell - support cells that are often called the glue of the nervous system.

The microglial cells are responsible for clearing out old and worn out cells via a process called phagocytosis - meaning "to devour" in Greek.

The astrocytes' job is to prune unnecessary synapses (connections) in the brain to refresh and reshape its wiring.

We've known that this process occurs when we sleep to clear away the neurological wear and tear of the day, but now it appears that the same thing happens when we start to lose sleep.

[PDF]

4/100 Days of Productivity - 7/24/17

Researchers show astrocytes are crucial for establishing long-term memory in mice.

Astrocytes are the most numerous cell type present in the brain, and perform a variety of tasks, such as axon guidance, synaptic support, and homeostasis. Astrocytes have been hypothesized as contributing to memory consolidation and memory performance, however, the roles played by astrocytes im memory are not fully understood. Now, a study from researchers at Salk Institute shows that astrocytes…

New role identified for astrocytes in brain processing.

It is known that astrocytes are the most numerous cell type present in the brain and perform a variety of tasks, such as axon guidance, synaptic support, and homeostasis. Even though many new roles for astrocytes have been identified recently there is still much work to be done in revealing the multitude of crucial roles they play in helping the brain process information. Now, a study from…