Brain cell activity plays critical role in central nervous system disorder outcomes

Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have comprehensively mapped molecular activity in the brain and spinal cord that is responsible for regulating the body’s response to central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s disease and spinal cord injuries.

The research focused on cellular changes in astrocytes, a specialized support cell type in the brain and spinal cord. These cellular changes, known collectively as “reactivity,” play a critical role in regulating outcomes for central nervous system disorders.

This is the first time a team of scientists has provided evidence demonstrating that astrocytes use specialized collections of molecules called transcriptional regulators to shape disorder-specific changes in their molecular profiles.

The discovery, detailed in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, can help lead to the development of a broad range of new therapies that target specific astrocyte activity to help treat a variety of central nervous system conditions, including multiple sclerosis and stroke.

“There is a growing interest in targeting astrocyte reactivity as treatment strategies for CNS disorders,” said Joshua Burda, PhD, lead and co-corresponding author of the study, and assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and the Department of Neurology. “Understanding how different kinds of astrocyte responses are coordinated and the consequences of manipulating those responses not only will help us better understand diseases of the central nervous system but can provide crucial insights that enable the development of better therapies for these conditions.”

Astrocyte reactivity is a hallmark of virtually all nervous system injuries and diseases. Yet, there is still little understanding of what astrocyte reactivity is, what causes it, how it differs across disorders, and how these differences are regulated.

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