Neurons release a protein called Sonic hedgehog (Shh) to determine the molecular and physiological properties of astrocytes throughout the brain. In the image, the Shh signaling pathway has been ...

Confocal image of a mouse brain tissue shows the astrocytes (red) and neurons (green). Iryna Ethell, University of California - Riverside Iryna Ethell and Samantha Sutley, University of California ...

Baylor College of Medicine researchers have been investigating the star-shaped cells in our brains known as astrocytes, which act as microscopic storage boxes that hold our memories. This unique ...

However, astrocytes are difficult to study. Parts of them are so thin that they are not visible under an ordinary microscope.