Astrocyte - Wikipedia Astrocytes (from Ancient Greek ἄστρον, ástron, "star" and κύτος, kútos, "cavity", "cell"), also known collectively as astroglia, are characteristic star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord
Astrocytes: Current Biology - Cell Press What are astrocytes? Astrocytes represent one of the largest cellular components of the central nervous system (CNS), accounting for between 20 and over 50% of the total CNS cell number depending on the species studied
Once Thought To Support Neurons, Astrocytes Turn Out To Be in Charge Astrocytes, which outnumber neurons in many brain regions, have complex and varied shapes, and sometimes tendrils, that can envelop hundreds of thousands or millions of synapses, the junctions where neurons exchange molecular signals