STAT1 and infection: Astrocytes respond to infection and contribute to the immune response by releasing cytokines and chemokines, limiting parasite replication via activation of STAT‐1 signaling, and increasing extracellular glutamate concentrations through a diminished capacity for glutamate uptake (Wilson and Hunter 2004; Sofroniew 2015b; Hidano et al. 2016; David et al. 2016; Still et al. 2020; Orchanian et al. 2024).