Characterizing Distinct Astrocyte Populations in Cerebrovasculature Function
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yang_aliyang_meng_bcs_thesis_2026.pdf
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19.6 MB
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Adobe PDF
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34aa67377abec0edf80650204d4f2e93
Author(s)
Yang, Alicia
Advisor(s)
Heiman, Myriam
Date Issued
February 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative diseases are associated with dysfunction of the cerebrovasculature, the network of blood vessels running through the brain. Understanding the cell types that comprise the cerebrovasculature can help us learn not only about basic biological functions but also about diseased states that can potentially lead to novel treatments of neurological diseases. However, much remains to be understood about these different cell populations. One cell type of particular interest is a recently identified and novel subpopulation of astrocytes with a closer association to the vasculature, dubbed "vasculature-coupled" astrocytes, or vcastrocytes. This work presents a characterization of the molecular, structural, and functional properties of vc-astrocytes and highlights their distinct molecular signature relating to cell adhesion and wound healing, in contrast to the roles of the canonical astrocyte in metabolic and neurotransmitter regulation. Furthermore, the findings outline the morphological features and abundance of vc-astrocytes in the mouse brain, as well as suggest a key functional role in blood brain barrier (BBB) maintenance. These results suggest that vc-astrocytes could represent an immature and more reactive subpopulation of astrocytes that also have their soma in direct contact with the vasculature. This initial characterization of vc-astrocytes in the mouse brain provides valuable insight into a previously understudied subpopulation of brain cells preserved across mice and humans and helps us better understand the diversity of cerebrovascular function as a whole.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
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