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Astrocytes play a critical role in maintaining neuronal homeostasis. It is for this reason, that there has been considerable interest in understanding how exposure to chronic stress alters the function of these cells. In the current study we wished to extend this research by examining whether astrocytes, which form vast inter-connected networks, undergo some form of structural remodelling in response to stress. This involved creating high resolution three-dimensional digital reconstructions of astrocytes from adult rats exposed to chronic stress. We additionally, assessed changes in cell numbers using multiple techniques, including unbiased stereology, using GFAP and S100b labelling (both astrocyte specific makers), and the non-specific cell marker, Nissl stain. Our analysis indicated that chronic stress produced profound structural atrophy of astrocytes within the prefrontal cortex ( p |
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