Xiaoping Wu

TL;DR: It is concluded that the diversity of astrocyte populations in the isocortex and archicortex in the human brain reflects both intrinsic and acquired phenotypes, the latter perhaps representing a shift from CD44− “protoplasmic” to CD44+ “fibrous”-likeAstrocytes.

TL;DR: An unexplored role of cyclophilin D (CypD)-dependent mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) in Aβ-impaired axonal mitochondrial trafficking is reported and new insights into CypD-dependent mitochondrial mPTP and signaling on mitochondrial trafficking in axons and synaptic degeneration in an environment enriched for Aβ are provided.

TL;DR: Cortical tubers are epileptogenic lesions in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and it is hypothesized that the development of astrogliosis in cortical tubers constitutes a primary pathology of astrocytes and is directly related to TSC 1/2 mutations.

TL;DR: It is shown that immunohistochemical staining for glutamate transporter 1, the major brain glutamate transporter expressed primarily in astrocytes, suggests decreased levels in the hippocampi of infantile AxD patients, and indicates that aberrant astroCytes have decreased glutamate uptake, which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of neuronal and oligodendrocyte injury and death in AxD.

TL;DR: Changes in astrocyte phenotype are reported, with the most severe in the GFAPTg;Gfap+/R236H, resulting in the conversion of protoplasmicAstrocytes to cells that have lost their bushy-like morphology because of a reduction of distal fine processes, and become multinucleated and hypertrophic.