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Related Experiment Videos

Astrocytes, spontaneity, and the developing thalamus.

H Rheinallt Parri1, Vincenzo Crunelli

  • 1School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, PO Box 911, Cardiff CF10 3US, Wales, UK.

Journal of Physiology, Paris
|November 26, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Astrocytes in the ventrobasal thalamus exhibit spontaneous calcium oscillations that influence neuronal activity. This discovery challenges traditional neuron-glia interaction models, highlighting astrocytes

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cellular Biology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Astrocytes, a type of glial cell, were traditionally viewed as passive support cells in the central nervous system.
  • Recent research suggests astrocytes possess active signaling capabilities.
  • The role of astrocytes in early brain development, particularly in the thalamus, remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the spontaneous activity of astrocytes in the ventrobasal (VB) thalamus during early postnatal development.
  • To explore the functional implications of astrocytic activity on thalamocortical (TC) neurons.
  • To elucidate the nature of astrocyte-neuron and neuron-astrocyte interactions in the developing thalamus.

Main Methods:

  • Monitoring intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) oscillations in astrocytes within the VB thalamus.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessing the correlation between astrocytic [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations and neuronal activity, specifically NMDA receptor-mediated currents in TC neurons.
  • Stimulating astrocytic [Ca(2+)](i) increases to observe effects on neuronal activity.

    • Main Results:

    • Spontaneous intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) oscillations were observed in VB thalamic astrocytes early postnatally.
    • [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations were found to be correlated within groups of astrocytes and could propagate between them.
    • Increases in astrocytic [Ca(2+)](i) were correlated with NMDA receptor-mediated inward currents in TC neurons, and stimulating astrocytes induced these currents, suggesting astrocytes actively influence neuronal activity.

    Conclusions:

    • Astrocytes in the developing VB thalamus are spontaneously active and can modulate neuronal activity, reversing the traditional view of neuron-glia communication.
    • This astrocytic activity during a critical developmental period suggests a significant functional role in thalamic circuit formation.
    • These findings expand our understanding of thalamic astrocyte function and contribute to the growing field of astrocyte-neuron interactions in the CNS.