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Newswise — A new study examining the role that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes play in Huntington’s disease has identified a potential strategy that may halt the disease and repair some of the damage it causes.
Astrocytes interact with and support neurons, or nerve cells, and other brain cells. Although astrocytes outnumber neurons, little is known about how they interact with synapses, the junctions between neurons that enable them to communicate and convey messages to each other.
The study, led by UCLA researchers and published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, found that Huntington’s disease damages astrocytes at the early stages of the disease, which contributes to the neuropsychiatric symptoms…
