In the aftermath of a cerebral infarction, which cell type proliferates to form a glial scar?

Astrocytes are the primary cell type that proliferate following a cerebral infarction to form a glial scar. When there is damage to the brain tissue, such as after an infarction, the brain responds to this injury through a process known as reactive gliosis. In this process, astrocytes, which are a type of glial cell, become activated and undergo proliferation and hypertrophy, filling in the damaged areas and forming a scar.

The formation of a glial scar is important as it serves several functions, including providing structural support, repairing the blood-brain barrier, and modulating the inflammatory response. While other cell types in the brain also play roles in response to injury, such as microglial cells, which are involved in immune responses and debris clearance, they do not form the glial scar itself. Neurons typically do not proliferate in response to injury and instead may undergo apoptosis or degeneration. Oligodendrocytes are responsible for myelination in the central nervous system, and although they can respond to injury, they do not proliferate to form glial scars.

Thus, the proliferation of astrocytes to create a glial scar is a crucial part of the brain's response to injury and is