Researchers study function of astrocytes with goal of treating mental illness

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 are attempting to learn more about their function in order to help create an understanding of how to cure mental illnesses.

A lot of research has been conducted on the function of neurons in the brain. Much less is known about the non-neuron cells in the brain, known as astrocytes. In a healthy brain, they ensure that the metabolism is working properly and that there is optimal signaling between neurons.

Astrocytes may also be involved in disease, however. For example, increased astrocyte activity can be seen in the brain before Alzheimer’s patients are diagnosed. Reactivity can also become dangerously high in a person affected by a head injury.

Maria Lindskog, a researcher in neurobiology, became interested in astrocytes when she tried to map what happens in the brain in cases of depression.

“We examined animal models of depression, but couldn’t find anything wrong with the neurons. We then started looking at astrocyte function and realized that this was where the problem lay. They absorbed a neurotransmitter less effectively and released more of a substance than was normal,” explains Lindskog. “It’s as if the brain is running in too low a gear—there is less power but it is easier to accelerate.”

Although the astrocytes change their function in cases of depression and other mental illnesses, there is currently no drug that directly targets them.

Demanding and difficult to research

At the Uppsala Biomedical Center lab, they are trying to learn more about how astrocytes work. Master’s student Dunya Alzanbouri uses cultured astrocytes that she then exposes to various substances. The idea behind the study is to create an environment that mimics the diseased brain. She therefore exposes the astrocytes to substances that are present in the real brain during periods of inflammation or stress, for example.

“We want to see if astrocytes can be transformed to become more reactive. The aim is to try to understand how astrocytes relate to various diseases and to develop a model that researchers can build on,” explains Alzanbouri, who is studying for a Master’s degree in biomedicine and conducting her degree project in Lindskog’s lab.

However, astrocytes are difficult to study. Parts of them are so thin that they are not visible under an ordinary microscope. They also become less branched when cultivated than when they are found in real brain tissue. Lindskog and Alzanbouri explain that cells are demanding, making it challenging to cultivate them. There are few alternatives for studying human astrocytes, however.

“It can be easier to obtain samples and cells from humans when it comes to other organs in the body, but the human brain is more difficult,” notes Lindskog.

Aim is to understand role of astrocytes in mental illness

Lindskog notes that it is frustrating how few resources are devoted to research on mental illness, especially considering how many people are affected and how much suffering it causes. She hopes to be able to contribute to the field.

“I am driven both by understanding what is happening, but also by finding new treatment targets for mental illness. The stigma associated with this type of disease can be reduced if we can better explain what is actually happening in the brain—if we can show that there is actually a biological problem.”