Background: The water channel aquaporin 4 (AQP4) is abundantly expressed in astrocytes. There is now compelling evidence that AQP4 may contribute to an unfavorable course in brain edema.

and by promoting perivascular inflammation and astrocyte and myelin injury. The bidirectional water channel AQP4 is an integral part of the BBB and the blood–CSF barrier. The channel is ...

In summary, the presence of AQP4 seems to play a detrimental role acutely, but at a later phase starting from around 7 days post injury for at least 1 month, AQP4 may play a beneficial role that ...

What actually happens in the brain in cases of depression? Relatively unknown brain cells—"astrocytes"—are believed to play an important role. At the Uppsala Biomedical Center, lab researchers ...

A new paper, published November 6 in Nature, examines the role played by cells called astrocytes—named for their distinctive star-shaped form—in the way that mice process and store memories.

Glutamate is the primary neurotransmitter that nerve cells in the brain use to communicate with one another. Past ...

AQP4 antibodies target and damage specific nerve cells (astrocytes) in optic nerve, spinal cord and brain. For years there was no specifically approved treatment for NMOSD, is thought to affect ...