Research
Astrocyte development and the roles of astrocytes in diseases
Appointments
- Assistant Professor
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Biography
Astrocytes constitute at least a third of all cells in human brains. Long thought to be passive support cells, astrocytes are recently found to be critical for the development and function of the central nervous system. Accumulating evidence show that astrocytes are involved in almost every type of neurological and psychiatric disorder.
The cellular and molecular mechanisms that control astrocyte development as well as dysfunction of astrocytes in neurological and psychiatric disorders remains poorly understood.
We combine cell culture and mouse genetic approaches to study the following questions:
- What signals regulate astrocyte maturation?
- How is astrocyte differentiation regulated?
- Can we improve treatment of glioblastoma by studying astrocyte development?
- Are astrocytes involved in intellectual disability and autism?
Publications
- Tang, S, Ye, JX, Li, RY, Wang, JL, Xie, HC, Zhang, YQ et al.. Formononetin attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by regulating neutrophil extracellular traps formation and platelet activation via platelet CD36. Phytomedicine. 2025;141 :156736. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2025.156736. PubMed PMID:40250000 .
- Zhang, Y, Chen, Y, Lu, R, Zhao, A, Ning, Z, Wang, D et al.. The impact of maternal sleep during pregnancy on childhood health: A systematic review. Sleep Med Rev. 2025;81 :102090. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2025.102090. PubMed PMID:40249995 .
- Chen, N, Tu, Y, Liu, DQ, Zhang, Y, Tian, YK, Zhou, YQ et al.. Exploring the Role of RhoA/ROCK Signaling in Pain: A Narrative Review. Aging Dis. 2025; :. doi: 10.14336/AD.2024.1539. PubMed PMID:40249935 .
- Li, J, He, L, Wang, W, Wang, S, Zhang, D, Liang, L et al.. Comprehensive evaluation and application of tissue clearing techniques for 3D visualization of splenic neural and immune architecture. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2025; :. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00084.2025. PubMed PMID:40249862 .
- Deng, J, Ma, N, Jia, Y, Dong, L, Zhang, Y, Ren, Y et al.. Advancing Butter Cookie Quality: Low-Oxygen Baking as a Dual Approach for Sensory Enhancement and Acrylamide Mitigation. J Agric Food Chem. 2025; :. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c11652. PubMed PMID:40249853 .