Astrocytes -- Another Glial Cell involved with the Neuro-Developmental / Psychiatric Continuum

Val's Take/Conjecture

• ​introducing "ASTROCYTES." -- another Glial Cell associated with the Immune response and Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders.

​Astrocyte regulation of synaptic signaling in psychiatric disorders  (2022)

​Affective Immunology: The Crosstalk Between Microglia and Astrocytes Plays Key Role?  (2020)

Almost a century ago, Julius Wagner-Jauregg first reported the impact of immunological disturbance on psychological function.

This finding stirred up researchers' enthusiasm about bidirectional communication between immunological dysfunction and mental disorders.

To date, understanding the etiology of mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety disorder, as well as mood disorders, is one of the most actively explored topics in immunology.

We're starting to get more than a rough idea about what is going on with the Neuro-Developmental/Psychiatric Continuum:

• It often starts in utero with Maternal Immune Activation (MIA).
• That MIA dysregulates Microglia in the yok-sak in the placenta.
  • Microglia are innate immune cells in the brain.
• This ultimately leads to abnormal development of neurons.
• Additionally, other glial cells seem to create abnormal "myelation" of the neurons.
  • To me that sounds very much like Multiple Sclerosis.
  • One of the things I heard a researcher say a few years ---- the Immune System seemed to be involved with psychiatric disorders but it wasn't a classic autoimmune disease.
  • On the other hand, some MIA is the result of mom's auto-immune disease and people on the Neuro-Developmental/Psychiatric Continuum do have autoimmune diseases such as Thyroid Disorders.
• Really understanding that we are talking about Developmental Disorders that involve multiple systems of the body and a BIG DRIVER is the IMMUNE SYSTEM is the key to real PROGRESS.

​Verywell Health

​Aberrant astrocyte protein secretion contributes to altered neuronal development in multiple models of neurodevelopmental disorders (2022)

Astrocyte involvement in metabolic regulation and disease (2024)

​Val's Take:  Astrocytes are involved with thyroid disorders --- and those are very common among people with psychiatric disorders.

​See Also:

​Interaction between Oligodendrocytes and Interneurons in Brain Development and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders (2024)