Publications by authors named "AnnaLin M Woo"
Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are densely packed extracellular matrices that cover the cell body of fast-spiking inhibitory neurons. PNNs stabilize synapses inhibiting synaptic plasticity. Here we show that synaptic terminals of fast-spiking interneurons localize to holes in the PNNs in the adult mouse somatosensory cortex.
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- Astrocytes are special brain cells that help keep the brain healthy, but when they don’t work right, it can cause big problems.
- Research shows that astrocytes play a key role in epilepsy, which is a brain disorder that causes seizures, and they can get affected by different types of brain damage.
- The study suggests that the way astrocytes interact with structures called perineuronal nets might lead to inflammation in the brain, which could help scientists find new treatments for epilepsy that are different from the usual medicines.
Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are dense, negatively charged extracellular matrices that cover the cell body of fast-spiking inhibitory neurons. Synapses can be embedded and stabilized by PNNs believed to prevent synaptic plasticity. We find that in cortical fast-spiking interneurons synaptic terminals localize to perforations in the PNNs, 95% of which contain either excitatory or inhibitory synapses or both.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAstrocytes extend endfeet that enwrap the vasculature, and disruptions to this association which may occur in disease coincide with breaches in blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. Here we investigate if focal ablation of astrocytes is sufficient to disrupt the BBB in mice. Targeted two-photon chemical apoptotic ablation of astrocytes induced a plasticity response whereby surrounding astrocytes extended processes to cover vascular vacancies.
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