Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40033701›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of physiology2026

Ultrastructure of astrocytes using volume electron microscopy: A scoping review.

Vanessa Chiappini, Maria Fernanda Veloz Castillo, Francesco Biancardi, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Pierre J Magistretti, Alessandro Vercelli, Marco Agus, Corrado Calì

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 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. Review
  4. 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.

Vanessa ChiappiniDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Maria Fernanda Veloz CastilloDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Francesco BiancardiCarl Zeiss Microscopy, Oberkochen, Germany.
Ferdinando Di CuntoDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Pierre J MagistrettiBiological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Alessandro VercelliDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Marco AgusCollege of Science and Engineering, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar.
Corrado CalìDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4856-0835

Funding

PNRR "Nodes" ECS00000036Qatar National Library
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The morphological features of astrocytes are crucial for brain homeostasis, synaptic activity and structural support, yet remain poorly quantified. As a result of the nanometre-sized cross-section of neuropil astrocytic processes, electron microscopy (EM) is the only technique availabe to date capable of revealing their finest morphologies. Volume EM (vEM) techniques, such as serial block-face or focused ion beam scanning EM, enable high-resolution imaging of large fields and allow more extensive 3-D model analyses, revealing new astrocytic morphological features. This scoping review aims to summarize the state of the art of astrocyte ultrastructural analysis. This review included 45 of 439 non-duplicated articles from a Pubmed search, categorizing studies by research focus, animal models, brain region, vEM techniques and segmentation methods. By answering classical questions such as volume, surface area, branching complexity and synaptic ensheathment reported in the literature, this work is a valuable resource for scientists working on structural biology or computational neuroscience.

Indexed as

AstrocytesMicroscopy, ElectronAnimalsBrainHumansVolume Electron MicroscopyastrocyteFIB‐SEMleafletsperisynaptic processesSBF‐SEMssTEMultrastucturevolume electron microscopy

Identifiers

PMID40033701
PMCPMC12909662

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.