Calcium signaling in astrocytes and gliotransmitter release

Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Alfonso Araque¹  Julianna Goenaga¹  Paulo Kofuji²  Daniela Herrera Moro Chao² 

[1] Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States;null;

关键词: astrocyte;    gliotransmission;    tripartite synapse;    plasticity;    calcium signaling;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnsyn.2023.1138577

 received in 2023-01-05, accepted in 2023-02-16,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Glia are as numerous in the brain as neurons and widely known to serve supportive roles such as structural scaffolding, extracellular ionic and neurotransmitter homeostasis, and metabolic support. However, over the past two decades, several lines of evidence indicate that astrocytes, which are a type of glia, play active roles in neural information processing. Astrocytes, although not electrically active, can exhibit a form of excitability by dynamic changes in intracellular calcium levels. They sense synaptic activity and release neuroactive substances, named gliotransmitters, that modulate neuronal activity and synaptic transmission in several brain areas, thus impacting animal behavior. This “dialogue” between astrocytes and neurons is embodied in the concept of the tripartite synapse that includes astrocytes as integral elements of synaptic function. Here, we review the recent work and discuss how astrocytes via calcium-mediated excitability modulate synaptic information processing at various spatial and time scales.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Goenaga, Araque, Kofuji and Herrera Moro Chao.