Synonyms
Astrocytosis; Glioses
Definition
Gliosis refers to proliferation of glial cells, either by hypertrophy (increased cell size) or hyperplasia (increased cellular division), in response to a CNS insult. For example, gliosis may occur in order to encapsulate a brain tumor or to provide scaffolding to support healthy tissue surrounding areas of insult or lesion. In many cases, gliosis leads to scarring within the CNS. Depending on the type of insult, gliosis can affect different glial cell subpopulations, primarily astrocytes and microglia and to a lesser extent oligodendrocytes. Gliosis is one of the principal histopathological indicators of brain damage.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Readings
Croisier, E., & Graeber, M. (2006). Glial degeneration and reactive gliosis in alpha-synucleinopathies: The emerging concept of primary gliodegeneration. Acta Neruopathologica, 112, 517–530.
Kumar, V., Fausto, N., & Abbas, A. (2004). Robbins & Cotran pathologic basis of disease (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Larson, J.C.G., Suchy, Y. (2018). Gliosis. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_526
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_526
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57110-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences