Allen Institute

What is a human brain cell but not a neuron? It sounds like a riddle, but our brains are full of other, lesser-known cells besides the textbook-famous electrical-signal-conducting neurons.

Some of these cells, known collectively as glial cells, seem to be just as complicated as neurons but because they don’t send signals in the same way, are even harder to study in the lab.

Shown above in a microscopy image, a delicate type of brain cell known as an astrocyte, named for their star-like shape. Allen Institute scientists study how the types of brain cells, including astrocyte types, varies across mammals. This particular human astrocyte appears to be a rare type known as a varicose projection astrocyte, so-called because it makes contact with blood vessels in the brain. This kind of astrocyte has only been found in the brains of humans and other apes.

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