Decreased number and increased activation state of astrocytes in gray and white matter of the prefrontal cortex in autism
| Autor: | Gelareh Vakilzadeh, Carmen Falcone, Brett Dufour, Tiffany Hong, Stephen C Noctor, Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño |
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| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Cognitive Neuroscience Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Autism 1.1 Normal biological development and functioning Prefrontal Cortex Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Underpinning research mental disorders Humans Psychology human Autistic Disorder Gray Matter Inflammation postmortem Pediatric GFAP astrocytes Neurosciences Experimental Psychology White Matter Brain Disorders Mental Health Astrocytes Neurological Original Article Cognitive Sciences |
| Zdroj: | Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), vol 32, iss 21 Cereb Cortex |
| Popis: | The cerebral cortex presents with alterations in the number of specific cell types in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Astrocytes have many functions in the brain including a role in higher cognitive functions and in inflammatory brain processes. Therefore, an alteration in number, function, and/or activation state of astrocytes, could be present in ASD. We quantified astrocyte number in the gray and white matter of the prefrontal cortex—BA9, BA46, and BA47—in 15 ASD and 15 age- and sex-matched control cases. We labeled astrocytes with antibodies against the protein GFAP and S100β, markers of astrocytes. We found a significant decrease in the number of astrocytes in the gray and white matter of all prefrontal areas of interest with both markers. We also found an increased state of activation of GFAP+ astrocytes in all areas. A reduced number of astrocytes in the cerebral cortex in ASD could lead to impaired synaptic function and disrupted connectivity. An increased astrocyte activation may indicate a chronic mild inflammatory state of the cerebral cortex in ASD. Overall, we found that astrocytes are disrupted in ASD. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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