Adenosine A2A receptor and glia

The adenosine A2a receptor (A2aR) is abundantly expressed in the brain, including both neurons and glial cells. While the expression of A2aR is relative low in glia, its levels elevate robustly in astrocytes and microglia under pathological conditions. Elevated A2aR appears to play a detrimental role in a number of disease states, by promoting neuroinflammation and astrocytic reaction to contribute to the progression of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases.