Fig. 378. §23 Tiny World
Astrocyte
" Astrocytes look after the neurons around them, and the ends of their arms, called end-feet, wrap around tiny blood vessels and help control how much blood flows by.
1Facts
- Shelf
- Tiny World
- Kind
- Built from a recipe
- Sound
- Yes
- Licenses
- Own work (made in the page)
2How to play
Tap it to send a calcium wave out along its arms.
3Its controls
Table I. Every control on this Splash.
| Control | Kind | Range | Start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send a calcium wave | Tap | ||
| Calcium wave | Button | ||
| Cell | Color | #35c79a |
4About it
An astrocyte is a star-shaped cell in the brain and spinal cord; its name means "star cell." Astrocytes look after the neurons around them, and the ends of their arms, called end-feet, wrap around tiny blood vessels and help control how much blood flows by.
Astrocytes pass messages to each other with waves of calcium, which scientists can watch with dyes that glow. Tap it to send one: a front of green light spreads from the middle out along every arm to the end-feet, and the blood vessel they hold widens for a moment. Faint waves pass by themselves now and then.
5Details
- Splats
- Opens at 200,000 at Mid Detail, 59,998 at Low, and up to 890,000 at Max
6Sources and credits
Made in Splashery. Its code is MIT.
