Astrocytes -- named for their star-like shape -- are a type of brain cell as abundant as neurons in the central nervous system, but little is known about their role in brain health and disease.

Many neurological diseases are caused by or result in the loss of cells in the central nervous system. Some diseases are a result of the loss of specific cells, such as the loss of motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease, and the loss of GABAergic neurons in Huntington's disease.

For other neurodegenerative conditions, like Alzheimer's disease, a key hallmark is the general loss of cells in brain regions responsible for memory formation.

Although many brain diseases are marked by the loss of specific cells, a common link among these diseases is the loss of astrocytes. Interestingly, in some animal studies involving cases such as ALS, introducing disease-causing mutations selectively in astrocytes alone produces ALS symptoms and disease progression.