It is well established that astrocytes interact with neurons to protect, support and maintain normal cellular homeostasis during physiological ageing of the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain, spinal cord and retina. Astrocytes are major glial cells that are involved in the maintenance of structural and functional integrity and regulate neuronal function in the CNS.
Ageing is complex and multifactorial and leads to alterations in several processes modulated by astrocytes including but not limited to synaptic plasticity, gap junctional communication, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, neurotransmission, release of neurotrophic factors, and water/ion metabolic balance. Ion channels, a group of specialized membrane proteins acting as signal sensing, integrating or transducing molecules, play a vital part in regulating of numerous astrocyte signaling pathways.
In the last few decades, astrocytes have been reported to serve an important role in age-related neurodegenerative diseases. In the CNS, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are two of the main pathological hallmarks associated with aging. Increased age-related oxidative stress and inflammation can contribute to development and progression of various neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
The main purpose of this Research Topic is to collect reviews and original research articles providing novel and renewed insights into the involvement of astrocytes in the pathobiology of age-related neurodegenerative disorders.
It is well established that astrocytes interact with neurons to protect, support and maintain normal cellular homeostasis during physiological ageing of the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain, spinal cord and retina. Astrocytes are major glial cells that are involved in the maintenance of structural and functional integrity and regulate neuronal function in the CNS.
Ageing is complex and multifactorial and leads to alterations in several processes modulated by astrocytes including but not limited to synaptic plasticity, gap junctional communication, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, neurotransmission, release of neurotrophic factors, and water/ion metabolic balance. Ion channels, a group of specialized membrane proteins acting as signal sensing, integrating or transducing molecules, play a vital part in regulating of numerous astrocyte signaling pathways.
In the last few decades, astrocytes have been reported to serve an important role in age-related neurodegenerative diseases. In the CNS, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are two of the main pathological hallmarks associated with aging. Increased age-related oxidative stress and inflammation can contribute to development and progression of various neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
The main purpose of this Research Topic is to collect reviews and original research articles providing novel and renewed insights into the involvement of astrocytes in the pathobiology of age-related neurodegenerative disorders.