Journal
GLIA
Volume 47, Issue 3, Pages 226-232Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/glia.20029
Keywords
astrocyte; neuron-glia communication; review; glutamate receptor
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During the past few years, it has been established that astrocytes sense neuronal activity and are involved in signal transmission. Neuronal stimulation triggered electrophysiological and/or Ca2+ responses in astrocyte cultures and in acute brain slices. Present even within one given brain region, different pathways of neuron-to-astrocyte communication involving different receptor systems have been described. These mechanisms include glutamatergic and NO-mediated signaling. Neuron-to-astrocyte signaling can be confined to subcellular compartments, the microdomains, or it can activate the entire cell. It can even trigger a multicellular response in astrocytes, a Ca2+ wave. This form of astrocyte long-range signal propagation can occur independently, in pure astrocyte cultures, but it can also be triggered by neuronal activity. Astrocytes also exhibit spontaneous Ca2+ activity. Neuronal activity in acute brain slices can organize this activity into complex synchronous networks. One of the functional consequences of neuron-to-astrocyte signaling might be the neuronal control of microcirculation using astrocytes as a mediator. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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