""It's a secret subway system we didn't know was there," says Shane Liddelow, a neuroscientist at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City and a co-author of a paper published today in Nature describing the work. "This opens up a whole new avenue of investigation.""
""Clearly we are some way from understanding what the functional relevance and role of such [networks] is, but there are a myriad of possibilities," says David Lyons, a neurobiologist at the University of Edinburgh, UK, who was not involved with the research."
""Astrocytes tile every nook and cranny of the brain," says Liddelow, emphasizing their supportive role in clearing chemical waste and delivering essential molecules to neurons."
Astrocytes create complex networks in the mouse brain, similar to neuron circuits. A 3D map reveals these networks connect distant brain regions, facilitating molecular exchange. Astrocytes can bridge hemispheres and exhibit plasticity, adapting their connections based on sensory experiences. This discovery is a significant advancement in understanding nervous system structure, raising questions about the functional relevance of astrocyte networks and their potential roles in brain activity.
Read at Nature
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