Region-specific and age-related differences in astrocytes in the human brain

Jodie H.K. Man, Marjolein Breur, Charlotte A.G.H. van Gelder, Gabriella Marcon, Emanuela Maderna, Giorgio Giaccone, Maarten Altelaar, Marjo S. van der Knaap, Marianna Bugiani*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Astrocyte heterogeneity and its relation to aging in the normal human brain remain poorly understood. We here analyzed astrocytes in gray and white matter brain tissues obtained from donors ranging in age between the neonatal period to over 100 years. We show that astrocytes are differently distributed with higher density in the white matter. This regional difference in cellular density becomes less prominent with age. Additionally, we confirm the presence of morphologically distinct astrocytes, with gray matter astrocytes being morphologically more complex. Notably, gray matter astrocytes morphologically change with age, while white matter astrocytes remain relatively consistent in morphology. Using regional mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we did, however, identify astrocyte specific proteins with regional differences in abundance, reflecting variation in cellular density or expression level. Importantly, the expression of some astrocyte specific proteins region-dependently decreases with age. Taken together, we provide insights into region- and age-related differences in astrocytes in the human brain.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)102-115
Number of pages14
JournalNeurobiology of Aging
Volume140
Early online date13 May 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors

Funding

This project was supported by the ZonMw TOP grant 91217006. We are grateful to the Netherlands Brain Bank and the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta for providing the tissue. We acknowledge the mortuary assistants of the Amsterdam UMC for performing part of the autopsies. The study was supported by the ZonMw TOP grant 91217006.

FundersFunder number
Nederlandse Hersenbank
Fondazione I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta
ZonMw TOP91217006

    Keywords

    • Aging
    • Astrocyte heterogeneity
    • Human brain
    • Mass spectrometry-based proteomics

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Region-specific and age-related differences in astrocytes in the human brain'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this