Recent Examples on the WebThere are also some GLP-1 receptors in neurons, as well as in astrocytes, which are [brain] cells that control the extent of inflammation.—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 19 July 2024 Because Volterra's team located them in structures associated with memory, the researchers plan to examine data from people with Alzheimer's disease to see whether, and how, their signaling astrocytes are altered.—Simon Makin, Scientific American, 21 Nov. 2023 The winning entry: a rodent optic nerve head with astrocytes (yellow), contractile proteins (red), and retinal vasculature (green).—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 17 Oct. 2023 Some — but not all — astrocytes responded with glutamate.—Laura Dattaro, Quanta Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for astrocyte
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astrocyte.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from German Astrocyt (later Astrozyt), from astro-astro- + -cyt-cyte
Note:
The term was probably introduced by the Hungarian histologist Mihály (Michael von) Lenhossék (1863-1937) in Der feinere Bau des Nervensystems im Lichte neuester Forschungen, 2. Auflage (Berlin, 1895), p. 180.
especially: any comparatively large much-branched glial cell
Glia outnumber neurons in the human brain by a factor of 10 to one, and astrocytes are the most abundant type of glial cell. —Tina Hesman Saey, Science News
Astrocytes come in two main forms: fibrous astrocytes are found in the white matter and protoplasmic astrocytes in the gray matter.—Harold Kimelberg and Michael Norenberg, Scientific American
All gliomas, particularly the astrocytic neoplasms, are histologically, genetically, and thus therapeutically heterogeneous. —Lisa M. DeAngelis, The New England Journal of Medicine
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