REGIONAL SPECIFICATION OF ASTROCYTE DOMAINS: FROM DEVELOPMENT TO BEHAVIOUR

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The human brain is composed of two main cell types: neurons and glia. Both are derived from neural stem cells during development. Astrocytes, one type of glial cells, are the most abundant cells in the brain. Historically, however, astrocytes have been understudied, as they were thought only to serve as support cells for the proper function of the communicating neurons. Astrocytes have since been shown to play a major role in the proper functioning of the brain. Similar to neurons, they are a diverse group of cells, but little is known about how they achieve this diversity and how this relates to brain function. Our study aims to understand how stem cells give rise to astrocytes in different regions of the brain during development, and whether this formative process is maintained in the adult brain when astrocytes respond to injury. We propose to further explore how specific populations of astrocytes influence normal brain function. We hypothesize that astrocyte diversity is derived through the proliferation of distinct subpopulations of stem cells during development and following injury. We will use genetic tools to trace subpopulations of astrocytes with fluorescent protein tags and map their relationships with the neural stem cells. In addition, we will use ablation and reprogramming strategies to eliminate specific subpopulations of astrocytes and assess how this impacts the normal brain function. Our research program exploring astrocyte development and function will have significant impact in the field of neurodevelopment. **