GFAP and inflammatory bowel disease: For instance, GFAP is overexpressed in the intestines of patients with inflammatory bowel disease; Parkinson’s disease has been associated with elevated GFAP expression and phosphorylation in enteric glia; hepatic stellate cells show GFAP overexpression near areas of hepatic fibrosis; and GFAP has been detected in the bloodstream following complex thoracic aortic surgery [10].