Heterogeneity among astrocytes in reactive gliosis.

Reactive gliosis has been considered to be the major cause of regenerative failure of the mature mammalian central nervous system (CNS). It is classically defined by increased glial fibrillary acidic protein expression. However, the response to injury is not uniform throughout the CNS. This heterogeneity is becoming more apparent as other markers for reactive astrocytes emerge from recent studies. These molecules may be more relevant markers of the functional state of reactive astrocytes and may help us understand the events leading to failure of regeneration in the CNS.