Pathological Roles of Astrocytes in Traumatic Brain Injury

By combining mechanistic studies with translational perspectives, this review highlights that astrocytes act as central mediators of secondary injury and repair in TBI pathology. Given the context-dependent nature of astrocyte signaling, future therapeutic strategies should aim to reprogram astrocyte responses with temporal and cell-type precision rather than pursuing broad inhibition. Also, targeting astrocyte-specific pathways, such as the TLR4 and NF-κB pathways, may mitigate secondary injury and improve outcomes. This underscores the therapeutic potential of modulating astrocyte responses in the treatment of TBI.