Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Isolation and Culture of Mouse Cortical Astrocytes
Published on: January 19, 2013
Special characteristics of human astrocytes and their roles in brain homeostasis
Ilari Kousa1, Karo Talvio1, Ulla-Kaisa Peteri1
1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290, Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract:
Human astrocytes differ morphologically, functionally, and in their gene expression patterns from murine astrocytes. The astrocytic heterogeneity and complexity observed in the mouse brain are multiplied in humans, evident in primate-specific astrocyte populations and region-specific subtypes reflecting diverse molecular programs and environmental factors in the human brain. Astrocytes also contribute to the evolutionary processes associated with an increase in brain size and enhancing cognitive function. In this review, astrocyte differentiation and function are described to frame the processes that make human astrocytes specific, and whose disturbances can lead to brain pathology, as revealed by rapidly-evolving stem cell-based technology employed in human astrocyte studies.
Related Concept Videos
Glial Cells
Nervous Tissue: Glial Cells
The CNS glial cell includes the astrocytes, the oligodendrocytes, the microglia, and the ependymal cells.
Astrocytes are star-shaped glial...
Neuron Structure
Structure and Function of Neurons
The neuronal cell body—the soma— houses the nucleus and organelles vital to...
The Blood-brain Barrier
Cerebrospinal Fluid
CSF Production
CSF is produced mainly in the choroid plexus, a network of capillaries and ependymal cells located within the ventricular system of the brain....

