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2025
In this image by Elodie Martin, astrocytes form a dense, luminous network of bluish and golden hues, revealing the silent traces of Alzheimer's disease.
These star-shaped cells normally ensure the harmony of nervous tissue: they nourish neurons, regulate exchanges and keep the brain in balance.
But in this pathological context, their silhouette changes. They become reactive, clustering around amyloid deposits, releasing warning signals and participating in chronic inflammation.
What this image shows is a tipping point: that of a support system overheated by illness.
Each extension here is both a trace of a cellular battle and a witness to an insidious shift, when the brain tries to defend itself, but is exhausted in doing so.
