Los astrocitos: proporcionan algo más que soporte a las neuronas

Astrocytes may have an important role in regulating breathing.


by Miriam Frankel

En el cerebro y la médula espinal se encuentran neuronas y células de soporte. Hasta ahora la función de éstas últimas parecía restringida a proporcionar soporte mecánico a las verdaderas protagonistas, las neuronas. Se ha probado que los astrocitos, células con prolongaciones que les da aspecto "estrellado",
pueden intervenir ni más ni menos que en la función respiratoria. El artículo se puede consultar en "Nature".


Astrocytes, which were long thought to simply shore up other brain cells, also help to regulate breathing.
A type of brain cell thought to be responsible for supporting other cells may have a previously unsuspected role in controlling breathing.
Star-shaped cells called astrocytes, found in the brain and spinal cord, can 'sense' changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood and stimulate neurons to regulate respiration, according to a study published online in Science. The research may shed some light on the role of astrocytes in certain respiratory illnesses, such as cot death, which are not well understood.
Astrocytes are a type of glial cell — the most common type of brain cell, and far more abundant than neurons. "Historically, glial cells were only thought to 'glue' the brain together, providing neuronal structure and nutritional support but not more," explains physiologist Alexander Gourine of University College London, one of the authors of the study. "This old dogma is now changing dramatically; a few recent studies have shown that astrocytes can actually help neurons to process information."
"The most important aspect of this study is that it will significantly change ideas about how breathing is controlled," says David Attwell, a neuroscientist at University College London, who was not involved in the study.