Overview

• Nature Communications study shows that chemogenetic activation of striatal astrocytes reverses obesity-induced impairments in task adaptation in mice
• Targeted control of astrocyte calcium signaling also improved whole-body metabolic measures, including glucose tolerance and energy expenditure
• High-fat diets were found to remodel the structure and function of striatal astrocytes, linking diet to brain–body regulation
• Researchers used viral vectors to express a switchable protein in astrocytes and combined ex vivo and in vivo imaging with behavioral and metabolic assessments
• The work positions glial cells as novel therapeutic targets for treating cognitive and metabolic disturbances associated with obesity