Network-level encoding of local neurotransmitters in cortical astrocytes.

ABSTRACT: Astrocytes, the most abundant non-neuronal cell type in the mammalian brain, are crucial circuit components that respond to and modulate neuronal activity through calcium (Ca²⁺) signalling^1-7. Astrocyte Ca²⁺ activity is highly heterogeneous and occurs across multiple spatiotemporal scales-from fast, subcellular activity^3,4 to slow, synchronized activity across connected astrocyte networks^8-10-to influence many processes^5,7,11. However, the inputs that drive astrocyte network dynamics remain unclear. Here we used ex vivo and in vivo two-photon astrocyte imaging while mimicking neuronal neurotransmitter inputs at multiple spatiotemporal scales. We find that brief, subcellular inputs of GABA and glutamate lead to widespread, lo

SUBMITTER: Cahill MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11062919 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature