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.

They also discovered a matching astrocyte subgroup that reliably reacted to astrocyte-specific stimulations with sub-second release of glutamate at geographically specific areas of greatest need ...

Hippocampal astrocyte expressing GFP Credit: ... "Astrocytes contain a vesicular compartment that is competent for regulated exocytosis of glutamate," Nat Neurosci, 7:613-20, 2004. (Cited in 86 papers ...

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

Potential Astrocyte Dysfunction in Neurodegenerative Diseases. (1)Impairment of glutamate transporters, through reduced expression, aberrant RNA synthesis or altered function, results in increased ...

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

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.

When astrocyte function is disrupted, ... The first one (a knockdown of the glutamate transporter GLT1) didn't affect whether the mice pushed the lever or how quickly they did so.

We will begin by highlighting a subset of the many cellular functions of astrocytes, focusing specifically on those functions that have the most relevance to neurodegeneration (Figure 1). Other ...