Recent Developments in the Understanding of Astrocyte Function in the Cerebellum In Vivo

Several studies have contributed to our understanding of astrocytes, especially Bergmann glia, in the cerebellum; but, until recently, none has looked at their function in vivo. Multicell bolus loading of fluorescent calcium indicators in combination with the astrocytic marker SR101 has allowed imaging of up to hundreds of astrocytes at once in the intact cerebellum. In addition, the selective targeting of astrocytes with fluorescent calcium indicator proteins has enabled the study of their function in vivo without the confounding effects of other neuropil signals and with a resolution that surpasses multicell bolus loading and SR101 staining. The two astrocyte types of the cerebellar cortex, Bergmann glia, and velate protoplasmic astrocytes display a diverse signaling repertoire in vivo, which ranges from localized calcium elevations in subcellular processes to waves, triggered by the release of purines and mediated by purinergic receptors that span multiple processes and can involve tens of astrocytes. During locomotor behavior, even larger numbers of astrocytes display calcium increases that are driven by neuronal activity and correlate with global changes in blood flow. In this review, we give an overview of our current understanding of the function of Bergmann glia and velate protoplasmic astrocytes and the promise of the tools used to study their calcium dynamics and function in vivo.