An active role for astrocytes in synaptic plasticity?
University of Connecticut, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, 75 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269-3156, USA. ian.wenker@uconn.edu
Journal of neurophysiology 2010 SepRecently, Henneberger and colleagues blocked hippocampal long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP) induction by "clamping" intracellular calcium concentration of individual CA1 astrocytes, suggesting calcium-dependent gliotransmitter release from astocytes plays a role in hippocampal LTP induction. However, using transgenic mice to manipulate astrocytic calcium, Agulhon and colleagues demonstrated no effect on LTP induction. Until the question of how intracellular calcium causes gliotransmitter release is answered, the role of astrocytes in synaptic plasticity will be incompletely understood.
Citation
Ian Wenker. An active role for astrocytes in synaptic plasticity? Journal of neurophysiology. 2010 Sep;104(3):1216-8
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PMID: 20610782
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