The connection between two neurons, called a synapse, allows information to flow from one brain cell to the next. Healthy synapses enable us to think, learn, and make memories. However, the exact process for creating and stabilizing new synapses are poorly understood.
Professor Nicola Allen, graduate student Alexandra Bosworth, and colleagues have now shown that nonneuronal brain cells called astrocytes are surprisingly critical for maintaining healthy synapses. Using a mouse model, the researchers found that astrocytes produce a protein called glypican 5 that is necessary for the proper maturation and refinement of synapses. Without glypican 5, synapses lose structural maturity and cause the pre- and post-synaptic portions of neighboring neurons to shrink. This information could now influence the development of new therapeutics for brain disorders that involve synaptic dysfunction, including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia.
