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Imaging Intracellular Ca2+ Signals in Striatal Astrocytes from Adult Mice Using Genetically-encoded Calcium Indicators
Published on: November 19, 2014
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Aging in mice alters regionally enriched striatal astrocytes
Kay E Linker1,2,3, Violeta Duran-Laforet4, Matthias Ollivier5
1Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. kaylinker@gmail.com.
Nature Communications
|September 26, 2025
Summary
Aging causes significant molecular changes in brain astrocytes, particularly in the dorsal striatum. This study reveals reduced astrocyte diversity and increased inflammation with age, impacting neuronal interactions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Aging Research
Background:
- Aging impacts brain function, affecting motor behaviors linked to the striatum.
- Cell-type-specific molecular changes in the aging brain, especially the striatum, are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related molecular alterations in striatal astrocyte subtypes.
- To map the regional distribution of astrocyte subtypes and their response to aging.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on astrocytes from young and aged mice.
- Bioinformatic analyses were used to identify astrocyte subtypes and their transcriptomic profiles.
- In silico imputation of molecular interactions between astrocytes and neurons was conducted.
Main Results:
- Distinct astrocyte subtypes were identified, with aging leading to reduced diversity and a more homogenous, inflammatory transcriptomic profile.
- Age-related changes were asymmetric across striatal regions, with dorsal striatal astrocytes showing greater alterations.
- Aging significantly reduced molecular interactions between astrocytes and neurons, notably those involving Nrxn2.
Conclusions:
- Aging induces significant, regionally asymmetric molecular changes in striatal astrocytes.
- Dorsal striatal astrocytes exhibit more pronounced age-related transcriptomic shifts and inflammation.
- Altered astrocyte-neuron interactions, particularly Nrxn2-related pathways, are a key feature of aging in the striatum.
