STAT3 and Alexander disease: To determine whether STAT3 activation correlates with GFAP elevation in mouse models of AxD, we performed western analysis of STAT3 and phosphorylated STAT3 (Tyr705) in different regions of the CNS and found that STAT3 expression and activation were more pronounced in forebrain regions compared to hindbrain regions and spinal cord, similarly to Gfap transcript (Figure 1B,C).