Role of Astrocytes Suggests Target for Stroke Therapy

Researchers found that a rise of calcium within the astrocyte instructs the blood vessels to constrict, which alters blood flow. Brain blood supplies energy for brain activities. Vessel contraction and dilation are a normal part of brain functioning, but improperly regulated flow can result in brain disorder or damage.

A study has revealed that astrocytes have a primary role in regulating blood flow within the brain and therefore show promise as a target for new stroke therapies.

Astrocytes surround nerve cells and all blood vessels in the brain. Researchers found that a rise of calcium within the astrocyte instructs the blood vessels to constrict, which alters blood flow. Brain blood supplies energy for brain activities. Vessel contraction and dilation are a normal part of brain functioning, but improperly regulated flow can result in brain disorder or damage.

The new finding upsets prior theories that astrocytes might cause vessels to dilate. Next steps include determining how to block the calcium in astrocytes to reduce damage caused by inadequate blood flow to the brain. Calcium flow in the brain is not influenced by diet. The results of the two-year study were published in the September 8, 2004, issue of Nature.

"This discovery highlights the complex communication between astrocytes and blood vessels, and research can now be focused on understanding and controlling these communication pathways,” commented coauthor Brian MacVicar, a professor in the Brain Research Center and the department of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia (UBC, Vancouver, Canada).



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