Thanks Shannon!! 😊 It was great to see you at ASN!

Thank you!! Goodness, I know - I was in tears the first time I read those.

I think it could! We know astrocytes are involved in the BOLD signal locally, but I think these networks are also shifting metabolites across brain regions. Perhaps regions with inactive neurons still have active astrocytes shuttling energy elsewhere when needed? I'd think that could show on BOLD...

Just in case there's anyone left I haven't shown this to: this is the first astrocyte network I ever imaged. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I still do!

#microscopy #glia #neuroscience

Astrocytes connect specific brain regions through plastic networks - Nature Communication between distant brain regions is mediated by plastic networks of gap junction-coupled astrocytes.

Feeling like learning about a secret astrocyte network in the brain?
Check out the latest from @melcooperphd.bsky.social in @nature.com.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

(take two because I'm out of action on the socials!)

Astrocytes connect specific brain regions through plastic networks - Nature Communication between distant brain regions is mediated by plastic networks of gap junction-coupled astrocytes.

Astrocytes do so much more than any of us thought - they even communicate among specific brain regions across hemispheres!

The journey to this paper spanned nearly a decade, but I'm most excited to see what everyone else does with the tools we've built. There's so much for all of us to explore!

I'll be giving a talk this afternoon at #ASN2026! If you love astrocytes, microscopy, or new insights on glial cross-hemispheric communication come check it out. Ballroom CD, 4:55 CST. See you there!

I’m honored by the opportunity - thank you so much! We’ll be working hard over the next few years to better understand what the earliest changes look like in AD.

@sfn.org #SfN25 #SanDiego starts this Saturday. The lab is going to be there in full force - see our presentations below.
Represented this year by @borderbiologist.bsky.social, Nick Kathman, @mrodea.bsky.social, @melcooperphd.bsky.social, @pryprk.bsky.social, @kerrylimberg.bsky.social.

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A big thank you to The Transmitter and @callimcflurry.bsky.social for the spotlight on our preprint!

You can check out her article below, or the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Thank you so much, Ciaràn!

Thanks, Ciaran!

Thank you to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (@bbrfoundation.bsky.social) for selecting me for a Young Investigator Award! I'm so excited to explore astrocyte networks in a new context.

Thanks so much! Imaging was definitely my favorite part of the work.

I can make a few educated guesses based on the neuronal functions in different regions, but I’m not sure I can say astrocytes are contributing directly to neuronal functions in each region the network traverses. I think breaking apart this question is going to take a long time, but should be fun!

Sensory deprivation (whisker trim) causes the barrel cortex astrocyte network to shrink! Check out Figure 5 for more details.

I appreciate that! 😁

First author here! This work has been cooking for quite a long time, and I have many more thoughts on it than could possibly exist in one paper. I'm always happy to answer more questions :)

I'm so honored to have the chance to show the world how beautiful the brain's "other" circuitry is. It has been the joy of my career to work on this project, and I can't wait to spend the rest of it learning how much more these networks are capable of.

#womeninSTEM #glia #neuroscience

Now on bioRxiv! Astrocytes in one brain region (cyan) communicate in expansive networks (magenta). Through tool development, tissue clearing, and many hours on our @zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social Z1, we now know these networks are repeatable across mice, plastic, and specific.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

@lsfm-na.bsky.social Is this heaven, or am I just currently surrounded by ELEVEN DIFFERENT LIGHT SHEET MICROSCOPES? So thrilled to be out here in Acadia chatting about microscopy!

Lectin conjugated to AlexaFluor647, yep!

Hippocampal vasculature is so pretty 😍
(mouse hippocampus perfused with Tomato Lectin and cleared)
#Neuroscience #Microscopy

An old favorite of mine - this retinal astrocyte (GFAP) looks like it’s dancing among blood vessels.

#science #glia #microscopy

Thanks! @philiphasel.bsky.social and I were always struck by how much this in vivo astrocyte population looked like primary astrocytes grown in serum. Suuuuper different than astrocytes in the parenchyma. Might be a hint about what they’re doing while living way up there!

Imaging these astrocytes on the surface of cleared brains was a blast!

Excited to share our latest paper!

We argue that in MS, the primary immune attack isn’t on myelin or myelinated axons — but on the ion & water homeostasis machinery in astrocyte endfeet.

A short thread on this new perspective

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The Coming Out of a Transgender Scientist "I know that I am making the right decision because whenever I think about changing my gender role, I am flooded with feelings of relief."

We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.

Bilateral astrocyte reaction to unilateral insult in the optic projection to the brain | PNAS Bilateral astrocyte reaction to unilateral insult in the optic projection to the brain

Thank you to the authors of a lovely commentary on our recent PNAS paper! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Does anyone know which SPINES (or similar) seminar series would still be open for applications next year?