Article
Neurosciences
Jarand B. B. Hjukse, Mario F. D. L. Puebla, Gry Fluge Vindedal, Rolf Sprengel, Vidar Jensen, Erlend A. A. Nagelhus, Wannan Tang
Summary: Astrocytes, a type of glial cells, interact with nearby neurons in a complex way. This study used imaging techniques to observe the response of astrocytes and neurons during high-frequency stimulation of neural circuits. Results showed that increasing levels of released glutamate led to accelerated calcium elevation in astrocytes, and this response was not directly dependent on glutamate transporters. Instead, astrocytic calcium elevation was indirectly associated with the uptake of extracellular glutamate. In addition, the study also revealed the involvement of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger and membrane P2X receptors in the astrocytic calcium response.
Review
Neurosciences
Ya-Fei Zhao, Yong Tang, Peter Illes
Summary: P2X7 receptors are mainly found in microglial cells in the brain, with lower density in neuroglial cells, involved in regulating necrosis/apoptosis and neurodegenerative processes. The question of whether they are present on neurons and the potential existence of neuronal P2X7Rs remains a topic of debate.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Surya P. Aryal, Mengfan Xia, Ebubechi Adindu, Caroline Davis, Pavel Ortinski, Christopher Richards
Summary: This study developed an endoplasmic reticulum-targeted calcium indicator, ER-GCaMP6f, which enables the measurement of signaling in close proximity to the endoplasmic reticulum in astrocytes. By utilizing microscopy techniques, the researchers demonstrated the localization of the indicator in astrocyte cell soma and processes, and detected calcium fluctuations in small astrocytic processes that were not observable with existing indicators. ER-GCaMP6f also identified dynamics in calcium signaling of endoplasmic reticulum resident receptors that were missed by other indicators.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Jonathan Lezmy
Summary: Astrocytes play a crucial role in synapse processing by controlling formation, strength, and termination of synapses. They release ATP, which has diverse effects, and recent studies have revealed its modulation of cellular mechanisms in nearby neurons and glia, signal transmission, and behavioral outputs. A flowchart of astrocytic ATP signaling is provided, suggesting its tendency to inhibit neural circuits to match energy demands.
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Zhu Lin, Feng You, Ting Li, Yijia Feng, Xinyue Zhao, Jingjing Yang, Zhimo Yao, Ying Gao, Jiang-Fan Chen
Summary: Recent studies have shown that astrocytes in the hippocampus exhibit calcium dynamics regulated by sensory inputs and reward delivery, with synchronized but phase-differing dynamics compared to neurons. Additionally, robust synchronization of astrocytic calcium dynamics at the population level was observed among the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and striatum. The inter-locked, bidirectional communication between astrocytes and neurons may play a role in modulating information processing in working memory.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melody Li, Mohamed Eltabbal, Hoang- Dai Tran, Bernd Kuhn
Summary: In this study, researchers generated a mouse model of Scn2a insufficiency and found that spontaneous Ca2+ transients in somatosensory cortical neurons, as well as their pairwise co-activities, were decreased in Scn2a ASO mice during spontaneous awake state and induced seizure state. This reduction may be a mechanism driving SCN2A PTV pathology.
Article
Neurosciences
Chihiro Hisatsune, Tadayuki Shimada, Akitoshi Miyamoto, Amy Lee, Kanato Yamagata
Summary: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a developmental disorder characterized by hamartomas in various organs and is often associated with epilepsy. Research has found that TSC2-deficient neurons exhibit heightened neuronal activity with synchronized Ca2+ spikes, with L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) playing a critical role in this abnormal activity. Targeting LTCCs could be a potential novel approach for treating epilepsy in TSC patients.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bryce T. Bajar, Nguyen T. Phi, Jesse Isaacman-Beck, Jun Reichl, Harpreet Randhawa, Orkun Akin
Summary: Research has found that patterned neural activity during the development of the fruit fly's central nervous system is coordinated by a small population of neurons expressing the Trp gamma gene. This activity is essential for the formation of synaptic connections and the assembly of the brain. The study establishes the fruit fly's brain as a useful model system for investigating how neural activity contributes to the formation of synapses and circuits.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryohei Satoh, Hiroko Eda-Fujiwara, Aiko Watanabe, Yasuharu Okamoto, Takenori Miyamoto, Matthijs A. Zandbergen, Johan J. Bolhuis
Summary: The study reveals the presence of specific subregional associations in auditory memory processing of male budgerigars. Significant positive correlations were found in neuronal activation between subregions in response to mate contact calls, while no such correlations were seen in response to unfamiliar female calls. This suggests a functional division within the caudomedial pallium of male budgerigars that cooperates in the neural representation of auditory memory.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dongyang Li, Tong Li, Jiawei Yu, Xiaoyu Liu, Shuwei Jia, Xiaoran Wang, Ping Wang, Yu-Feng Wang
Summary: Appropriate interactions between astrocytes and oxytocin neurons are essential for normal lactation. Intermittent pup-deprivation led to decreased suckling duration and litter's body weight gain, associated with increased expressions of GFAP and AQP4 in astrocytes. Oxytocin treatment reduced the length of GFAP filaments and AQP4 puncta while increasing GFAP staining, indicating the importance of AQP4-associated astrocytic plasticity in regulating oxytocin neuronal activity during lactation.
NEUROCHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Francisco Prista von Bonhorst, David Gall, Genevieve Dupont
Summary: Alzheimer's disease is characterized by dysregulation of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Beta-amyloids (Aβ) perturb the activities of Ca2+ transporters or channels, affecting neuronal excitability. Mathematical modeling shows that Aβ peptides promote neuronal hyperexcitability by affecting L-type Ca2+ channels or Ca2+-activated K+ channels, but induce hypo-excitability by acting on plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPases. The presence of amyloid pores in the plasma membrane can lead to hypo- or hyperexcitability.
Article
Neurosciences
Yu-Jie Huang, Chia-Chi Hung, Pei-Chien Hsu, Po-Yi Lee, Yen-An Tsai, Yu-Chiao Hsin, Xie-Ting Lee, Chia-Cheng Chou, Mei-Lien Chen, Der-Cherng Tarng, Yi-Hsuan Lee
Summary: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with mental disorders caused by the accumulation of indoxyl-3-sulfate (I3S) in the brain. I3S induces oxidative stress and activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). This study showed that AhR plays a crucial role in CKD-induced brain disorders and disturbance of neuron-astrocyte interaction.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Scott W. Emmons, Eviatar Yemini, Manuel Zimmer
Summary: The Caenorhabditis elegans model organism with its unique properties is advantageous for studying the nervous system. With advanced techniques and fluorescent probes, visualization and identification of neurons in this transparent animal are possible, enabling efficient research on nervous system structure and function. Recent developments in microscopy and fluorescent reporters sensitive to Ca2+ levels have further enhanced the study of neuron activity across the entire nervous system.
Article
Cell Biology
Yang Liu, Xiao-Ran Wang, Yun-Hao Jiang, Tong Li, Shuo Ling, Hong-Yang Wang, Jia-Wei Yu, Shu-Wei Jia, Xiao-Yu Liu, Chun-Mei Hou, Vladimir Parpura, Yu-Feng Wang
Summary: The study investigated the interaction between astrocytic VRAC and AQP4 in SON, and found that their coordinated activities play a key role in the regulation of GFAP filament dynamics and the modulation of vasopressin neuronal activity.
Review
Neurosciences
Francesca Fagiani, Eva Baronchelli, Anna Pittaluga, Edoardo Pedrini, Chiara Scacchi, Stefano Govoni, Cristina Lanni
Summary: The circadian molecular machinery serves as a precise timekeeper to synchronize physiological and behavioral processes with the external environment. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms regulated by the circadian clock in different brain areas and cells within the central nervous system. Neurons, astrocytes, and microglia all play active roles in maintaining timekeeping within the brain, and neurotransmitters finely tune the diffusion of circadian information among these cells, impacting the core clock machinery.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)