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The Indirect Neuron-astrocyte Coculture Assay: An In Vitro Set-up for the Detailed Investigation of Neuron-glia Interactions
Published on: November 14, 2016
Communication between astrocytes and neurons: a complex language
Gertrudis Perea1, Alfonso Araque
1Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28002, Spain.
Abstract:
In recent years, accumulating evidence suggests the existence of bidirectional communication between astrocytes and neurons, indicating an important active role of astrocytes in the physiology of the nervous system. As a consequence of this evidence, a new concept of the synaptic physiology--"the tripartite synapse"--has been proposed, in which the synapse is formed by three functional elements, i.e. the pre- and postsynaptic elements and the surrounding astrocytes. In the present article we review and discuss the current knowledge on the cellular mechanisms and physiological properties of this communication that displays highly complex characteristics. We are beginning to realize that the communication between astrocytes and neurons uses a quite complex language.
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