Main > Medical terms> Astrocyte

Astrocyte

Astrocyte [astrocytus – LNH (The Leningrad histologic nomenclature); lat. astrum, Greek astron – a star, star-shaped + a gist. cytus – a cell; synonyms: the cell is astroglial, an astrogliocyte] – the glial mature cell having the star-shaped form with numerous shoots. Astrocytes in nervous tissue carry out a role of basic structure.

Allocate the following types of astrocytes:

  • Fibrous [fibrosus – LNH (The Leningrad histologic nomenclature); synonyms: the astrocyte of fibrilloobrazuyushchiya, an astrocyte fibrous] – has the long, poorly branching shoots; in relation to white matter of a brain performs basic function;
  • Hypertrophied (hypertrophicus; synonyms: the astrocyte is corpulent, Nisslya the fattened astrocyte – нрк) – has a large body with thin shoots; meets in astrocytomas;
  • Monstrous (monstruosus) – a one-nuclear huge astrocyte, has long chetkoobrazno-fibrous shoots; at a myelosyringosis meets in the gliomatosis centers;
  • Tumoral (tumorosus) – the huge size an astrocyte, has a kernel of a bizzare shape; meets in some tumors of a brain (multiformny glioblastoma);
  • Piloidny (piloideus; lat. pilus – a hair + Greek - eides – similar) – in a form reminds a hair; meets in astrocytomas;
  • Plasmatic [plasmaticus – LNH (The Leningrad histologic nomenclature); synonym: And. protoplasmatic] – has a large number of branched short shoots; performs basic function in the relation to gray matter of a brain.
 
Whether you know that:

Most of women is capable to derive more pleasure from contemplation of the beautiful body in a mirror, than from sex. So, women, you aim at symmetry.