256 pages, 67 figures, 6 tables, hardcover This monograph is the first of its kind to focus specifically on the role of astroglia in aging-related human neurodegenerative disorders and experimental models of CNS senescence and degeneration. As such, this volume in the Neuroscience Intelligence Unit Series represents a novel and important contribution to the basic and clinical neuroscience literature. The chapters are grouped into three sections: I. Biology of Astrocytes. The chapters in this section will constitute a comprehensive discussion of the known functions of astroglia in the mammalian CNS and the roles these cells may play in the pathophysiology of neurological disorders. II. Astrocytes in Human Brain Senescence and Neurodegenerative Disorders. In this section, the pathology of astrocytes and their putative roles in human CNS senescence and various neurodegenerative conditions are covered in considerable detail. III. Experimental Models of Astrocyte Senescence: Implications for Neurodegenerative ! Disease. In this final section, experimental approaches to the delineation of the role of astroglia in brain aging and degeneration are described. This book should appeal widely to basic neuroscientists interested in various aspects of the biology of these cells as well as to clinically-oriented investigators concerned with the pathogenesis of the major human neurodegenerative disorders.