Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
08:26
Simultaneous Imaging of Microglial Dynamics and Neuronal Activity in Awake Mice
Published on: August 23, 2022
Synchronous hyperactivity and intercellular calcium waves in astrocytes in Alzheimer mice
Kishore V Kuchibhotla1, Carli R Lattarulo, Bradley T Hyman
1Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology/Alzheimer's Disease Research Laboratory, 114 16th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|March 3, 2009
Summary
Astrocytes exhibit altered calcium signaling in Alzheimer's disease models, with widespread network changes and plaque-associated calcium waves. This suggests a general astrocyte response to amyloid-beta pathology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cellular Biology
- Pathology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, including senile plaques, affects neuronal health.
- The specific functional responses of astrocytes to AD pathology remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively investigate astrocytic calcium homeostasis in vivo within a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
- To understand the network-level functional changes in astrocytes in response to amyloid-beta pathology.
Main Methods:
- Multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy was employed for in vivo imaging.
- Astrocytic calcium dynamics were monitored in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
Main Results:
- Resting astrocytic calcium levels were globally elevated, irrespective of plaque proximity.
- Calcium transients in astrocytes became more frequent, synchronized over long distances, and uncoupled from neuronal activity.
- Intercellular calcium waves, originating near amyloid-beta plaques, were observed and spread radially.
Conclusions:
- Alzheimer's disease pathology triggers a widespread, network-based functional response in astrocytes.
- Astrocytic calcium dysregulation is a general feature of amyloid-beta pathology, extending beyond focal plaque sites.
- These findings highlight a significant role for astrocytes in the broader network response to Alzheimer's disease.
