AUTHOR=Ponath Gerald , Park Calvin , Pitt David TITLE=The Role of Astrocytes in Multiple Sclerosis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=9 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00217 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2018.00217 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

The role traditionally assigned to astrocytes in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions has been the formation of the glial scar once inflammation has subsided. Astrocytes are now recognized to be early and highly active players during lesion formation and key for providing peripheral immune cells access to the central nervous system. Here, we review the role of astrocytes in the formation and evolution of MS lesions, including the recently described functional polarization of astrocytes, discuss prototypical pathways for astrocyte activation, and summarize mechanisms by which MS treatments affect astrocyte function.