Previous studies regarding the damage of the Zika virus on the brain had already pointed out the virus’s predilection for a certain neural cell: the astrocyte. However, few studies have proposed to identify the infection effects on these cells, as well as their association with developmental alterations, including brain malformations and microcephaly. Recently published in the Scientific Reports journal, a new article sought to unravel the virus reactions on laboratory-created astrocytes, comparing them to the same cells present in the brain tissue of animals and fetuses infected with Zika.
