Synapses are small gaps between neurons through which signals are transmitted. This transmission of signals is what allows ...

Astrocytes actively participate in synaptic integration by releasing transmitter (glutamate) via a calcium-regulated, exocytosis-like process. Here we show that this process follows activation of ...

Glial cells support neurological structures, function, cognition, behaviours, physical skills, and motor coordination.

The discovery of a clear, synaptic-like microvesicle in the adult hippocampal astrocyte, by Andrea Volterra's group at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, provided the framework for understanding ...

Fatty diets and obesity affect the structure and function of astrocytes, the star-shaped brain cells located in the striatum, ...

This evidence indicates that EAAT2 expressed in astrocytes—and probably also glutamate—influences the timing of disease onset and motor neuron survival. [35] ...

The team investigated the possible astrocytic origin of glutamate release by introducing acetylcholine (Ach), a physiologically relevant stimulus for visual cortex astrocytes, and evaluated its ...

When astrocytes release glutamate quickly at hyperlocalized sites, they can influence how neurons communicate, change their connections, and even cause some neuropsychiatric conditions.

The astrocytes' response to neuronal signals can also change; they can modulate how they respond to neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate. “Astrocytes are really big, and a single cell can ...

In some mice, they disrupted the astrocytes' ability to soak up the neurotransmitter glutamate, a chemical that excites neural activity when it is received at connections called synapses.

Normal Functions of Astrocytes. (1)Astrocyte functions include modulation of synaptic function via glutamate transporters, which convey glutamate from the synaptic cleft into the cell.