Entorhinal Astrocyte Transplants Restore Spatial Exploration and Alleviate Amyloid‐Beta Pathology in Alzheimer's Mice

ABSTRACT Astrocytes in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) regulate spatial exploration, yet their functional impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains poorly understood. Here, we show that fragmented spatial exploration in APP/PS1 mice correlates with diminished exploration‐evoked Ca 2+ transients in MEC layer II astrocytes. To address this, we transplanted glial progenitor cells into the MEC of aged AD mice. The engrafted cells differentiated into homeostatic astrocytes and restored perivascular Aquaporin‐4 polarization. This remodeling significantly reduced amyloid‐beta burden, attenuated neuroinflammation, and preserved synaptic integrity. Crucially, these structural and molecular improvements specifically reversed spatial exploration deficits without affecting general locomotion. Together, our findings suggest that dysfunction in MECII astrocytes is associated with fragmented exploratory behavior. Furthermore, the region‐specific replacement of astrocytes may ameliorate the spatial exploration deficits observed in the AD mouse model.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Science
Published
2026-08-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.77139
Primary Topic
Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Entorhinal Astrocyte Transplants Restore Spatial Exploration and Alleviate Amyloid‐Beta Pathology in Alzheimer's Mice

Chuanyan Yang, Manxia Wang, Kuan Zhang, Zhiqi Yang et al.
Advanced Science
Memory and Neural Mechanisms
article

Entorhinal Astrocyte Transplants Restore Spatial Exploration and Alleviate Amyloid‐Beta Pathology in Alzheimer's Mice

Chuanyan Yang, Manxia Wang, Kuan Zhang, Zhiqi Yang, Chunhai Chen, Teng Teng, Feifei Wu, Shuangshuang Dai, Jihua Fan, Jin Li, Mingzhu Huang, Haoyu Wang, Xiaowei Chen, Xiang Zhou, Shaofan Yang, Zhenlu Cai, Mingyue Gong
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Astrocytes in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) regulate spatial exploration, yet their functional impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains poorly understood. Here, we show that fragmented spatial exploration in APP/PS1 mice correlates with diminished exploration‐evoked Ca 2+ transients in MEC layer II astrocytes. To address this, we transplanted glial progenitor cells into the MEC of aged AD mice. The engrafted cells differentiated into homeostatic astrocytes and restored perivascular Aquaporin‐4 polarization. This remodeling significantly reduced amyloid‐beta burden, attenuated neuroinflammation, and preserved synaptic integrity. Crucially, these structural and molecular improvements specifically reversed spatial exploration deficits without affecting general locomotion. Together, our findings suggest that dysfunction in MECII astrocytes is associated with fragmented exploratory behavior. Furthermore, the region‐specific replacement of astrocytes may ameliorate the spatial exploration deficits observed in the AD mouse model.

Advanced Science
Guangxi University (CN), Army Medical University (CN), Chongqing University (CN), Gansu Provincial Hospital (CN), Lanzhou University Second Hospital (CN), Southwest Hospital (CN), Lanzhou University (CN), Chongqing Medical University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Memory and Neural Mechanisms
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