astrocyte

American  

[as-truh-sahyt] / ˈæs trəˌsaɪt /

noun

Cell Biology.

1. a star-shaped neuroglial cell of ectodermal origin.

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astrocyte British  

/ ˈæstrəʊˌsaɪt /

noun

1. any of the star-shaped cells in the tissue supporting the brain and spinal cord (neuroglia)

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astrocyte Scientific  

/ ăs′trə-sīt′ /

1. A star-shaped cell, especially one of the glial cells that support the tissue of the central nervous system.

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Other Word Forms

• astrocytic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of astrocyte

First recorded in 1895–1900; astro- + -cyte

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

astrocyte

The team found that increasing levels of Sox9, a protein that plays a major role in regulating astrocyte activity during aging, significantly improved these cells' ability to remove amyloid plaques.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026

Lower Sox9 levels led to faster plaque buildup, simpler astrocyte structure and reduced ability to clear amyloid deposits.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026

Changing astrocyte activity also affected how neurons behaved.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2026

When the team administered the S3QEL compound to mice engineered to model frontotemporal dementia, they observed reduced astrocyte activation, lower levels of inflammatory gene expression, and a decrease in a tau modification linked to dementia.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2025

Now, researchers at Tohoku University have monitored astrocyte activity using fluorescence calcium sensors, discovering that astrocyte activity starts approximately 20 seconds before the onset of epileptic neuronal hyperactivity.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2024