Effect of emotional stress on Astrocytes and their implications in Stress-related disorer

BENDER C, CALFA GD, MOLINA VA

Psychiatry and Neuroscience Update

Springer

Año: 2017; p. 119 - 134

Stress is a major riskfactor in the etiology of several psychiatric diseases, such as anxietydisorders and depression. On the other hand, a growing body of evidence hasdemonstrated that astrocytes play a pivotal role in the normal functioning ofthe nervous system. Hence, understanding the effects of stress on astrocytes iscrucial for a better comprehension of stress-related mental disorders. Here, wedescribe the evidence showing astrocyte changes induced by stress in animalsand how this plasticity could operate to induce behavioral sequelae. Inaddition, human data linking astrocytes with psychiatric disorders related tostress are also discussed. Altogether, the data indicate that both chronic andacute stressors are capable to change the morphology and function of astrocytein brain areas that are known to play a critical role in emotional processing,such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. Furthermore, differentlines of evidences suggest that astrocyte plasticity may contribute to thebehavioral consequences of stress.