Astrocytes, which are brain cells that regulate neuronal communication, show long-term degradation from stress. “The experience of traumatic events can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and drug addiction,” says Dr.
Si-Qiong June Liu of LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. Dr. Liu is the lead author of a new study on mice that reveals at least one way in which stress physiologically changes the way a brain operates The journal for neuroscience JNeurosci has published the study.
In research with mice, Liu’s study finds that even a single stressful event can quickly cause long-lasting changes to an astrocyte.