Astrocyte Activation Persists One Year After TBI: A Dynamic Shift from Inflammation to Neurodegeneration

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of chronic neurological dysfunction, yet the long-term cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in TBI remain incompletely understood. Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell type, are central to maintaining neuroglial and neurovascular homeostasis. Following TBI, however, astrocytic activation contributes to sustained inflammation and neurotoxicity. In this study, we employed RNA sequencing to longitudinally profile astrocyte morphology and transcriptional states at acute (2 days), subacute (2 weeks), and chronic (1 year) stages after controlled cortical impact in mice.