Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39928878›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2025

Astrocytic EphA4 signaling is important for the elimination of excitatory synapses in Alzheimer's disease.

Xin Yang, Ye Wang, Yi Qiao, Jingwen Lin, Jackie K Y Lau, Wing-Yu Fu, Amy K Y Fu, Nancy Y Ip

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Perisynaptic Astrocytic Processes as Communication Hubs and Early Sites of Dysfunction.The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry · 2026
    Review
  3. Repurposing trazodone for Alzheimer's disease to modulate soluble ST2 levels and alleviate Alzheimer's pathology.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Astrocytes as Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative Disorders.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025
    Review
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Xin YangDivision of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Daniel and Mayce Yu Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Ye WangDivision of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Daniel and Mayce Yu Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4641-3420
Yi QiaoDivision of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Daniel and Mayce Yu Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Jingwen LinDivision of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Daniel and Mayce Yu Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Jackie K Y LauDivision of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Daniel and Mayce Yu Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Wing-Yu FuDivision of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Daniel and Mayce Yu Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Amy K Y FuDivision of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Daniel and Mayce Yu Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Nancy Y IpDivision of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Daniel and Mayce Yu Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.ORCID 0000-0002-2763-8907

Funding

Fundamental Research Program of Shenzhen Virtual University Park 2021Szvup137the Innovation and Technology Commission InnoHK [INNOHK18SC01] and Grant [ITCPD/17-9]the National Key R&D Program of China grant 2021YFE0203000the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong the Areas of Excellence Scheme of the University Grants Committee (AoE/M-604/16)the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong the Collaborative Research Fund [C6027-19GF]the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong the General Research Fund [HKUST16102019]the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong the Theme-Based Research Scheme [T13-605/18 W]
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cell surface receptors, including erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular A4 (EphA4), are important in regulating hippocampal synapse loss, which is the key driver of memory decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the cell-specific roles and mechanisms of EphA4 are unclear. Here, we show that EphA4 expression is elevated in hippocampal CA1 astrocytes in AD conditions. Specific knockout of astrocytic EphA4 ameliorates excitatory synapse loss in the hippocampus in AD transgenic mouse models. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing analysis revealed that EphA4 inhibition specifically decreases a reactive astrocyte subpopulation with enriched complement signaling, which is associated with synapse elimination by astrocytes in AD. Importantly, astrocytic EphA4 knockout in an AD transgenic mouse model decreases complement tagging on excitatory synapses and excitatory synapses within astrocytes. These findings suggest an important role of EphA4 in the astrocyte-mediated elimination of excitatory synapses in AD and highlight the crucial role of astrocytes in hippocampal synapse maintenance in AD.

Indexed as

AstrocytesCA1 Region, HippocampalNeuronsReceptor, EphA4SynapsesAlzheimer DiseaseAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalFemaleHEK293 CellsHippocampusHumansMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, TransgenicEPHA4 protein, humanReceptor, EphA4Alzheimer’s diseasecomplement signalingEph receptorsreactive astrocytessynapse loss

Identifiers

PMID39928878
PMCPMC11848297

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.