An effort to map complex and understudied cells leads to a surprise discovery. In a recent UCLA study, researchers discovered that astrocytes, brain support cells, play a significant role in OCD-related behaviors. This finding suggests that targeting both astrocytes and neurons may offer new treatm
An astrocyte from the striatum. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles Health found that astrocytes, star-shaped “helper” cells that support neurons, may play a significant role in obsessive-compulsive disorder .
By studying the proteins expressed by neurons and astrocytes in mice, UCLA researchers found a protein associated with OCD and repetitive behaviors in neurons was also found in astrocytes. The discovery suggests therapeutic strategies targeting astrocytes and neurons may be useful for OCD and potentially other brain disorders.
A brain region known as the striatum, which is involved in decision-making and motor control, is thought to play a key role in OCD. That is exactly the area of the brain the UCLA researchers studied when they sought to examine the interactions between astrocytes and neurons. The researchers used multiple approaches to isolate and visualize proteins across neurons and astrocytes within the striatum. When they compared proteins found in neurons and astrocytes, they unexpectedly discovered both contained a protein associated with OCD known as SAPAP3.
Soto said future research would delve deeper into how the interactions between these cells affect behavior.
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