Astrocyte coverage of excitatory synapses correlates to measures of synapse structure and function in ferret primary visual cortex.

ABSTRACT: Most excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain are contacted or ensheathed by astrocyte processes, forming tripartite synapses. Astrocytes are thought to be critical regulators of the structural and functional dynamics of synapses. While the degree of synaptic coverage by astrocytes is known to vary across brain regions and animal species, the reason for and implications of this variability remains unknown. Further, how astrocyte coverage of synapses relates to in vivo functional properties of individual synapses has not been investigated. Here, we characterized astrocyte coverage of synapses of pyramidal neurons in the ferret visual cortex and, using correlative light and electron microscopy, examined their relationship to synaptic strength and sensory-evoked Ca²⁺ activity. Ne

SUBMITTER: Thomas CI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11324397 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature