2023-03-08
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Nataly Hastings et al. at the University of Cambridge hypothesised that the astrocyte network is dysregulated in Parkinson’s disease and that normalising calcium transport in the astrocyte network could reduce a-syn aggregation and inflammation, it was learnt on 26 July 2023. Gap junctions (GJs) communication and Cx43 expression were reduced in cultured astrocytes attacked with a-syn and inflammatory cytokines, and Cx43 expression was down-regulated in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease and a human model of Parkinson’s disease induced by injections of a-syn prefabricated fibres (PFF). Astrocytes from different brain regions were affected to varying degrees. In humans, cortical Cx43 deletion showed a trend associated with NMS (e.g., depression). Down-regulation of Cx43 in cultured astrocytes was associated with calcium disturbances, which were similar to those induced by a-syn.
