Disease-associated astrocytes in Alzheimer's disease and aging.

The role of non-neuronal cells in Alzheimer’s disease progression has not been fully elucidated. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing, we identified a population of disease-associated astrocytes in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model. These disease-associated astrocytes appeared at early disease stages and increased in abundance with disease progression. We discovered that similar astrocytes appeared in aged wild-type mice and in aging human brains, suggesting their linkage to genetic and age-related factors. A new subset of disease-associated astrocytes (DAAs) is identified in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease by single-nucleus RNA sequencing. DAAs are also found in aged wild-type mice, suggesting a link to genetic and age-related factors.