Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

3.4K
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
3.4K
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters01:29

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

12.0K
When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of...
12.0K
Ligand-gated Ion Channels01:19

Ligand-gated Ion Channels

13.5K
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins with a channel for ions to pass through and a binding site for a ligand. The channel opens only when a ligand attaches to the binding site.
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that...
13.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Mitochondrial lactate venting limits oxidative stress.

Cell metabolism·2026
Same author

Astrocyte CB<sub>1</sub> receptors drive blood-brain barrier disruption in central nervous system inflammatory disease.

Journal of neuroinflammation·2026
Same author

Convergent transcriptomic and connectomic controllers of information integration and its anaesthetic breakdown across mammalian brains.

Nature human behaviour·2026
Same author

Impact of image-guided radiation therapy with intraprostatic seeds on long-term toxicity in prostate cancer patients undergoing risk-adapted intensification therapy.

Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico·2026
Same author

Scale-spanning crosstalk between metabolism and information processing.

Cell metabolism·2025
Same author

Role of the Choroid Plexus Kir7.1 Channel in the Regulation of Mouse Cerebrospinal Fluid K<sup>+</sup> Concentration.

Acta physiologica (Oxford, England)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 27, 2025

Inducing Plasticity of Astrocytic Receptors by Manipulation of Neuronal Firing Rates
12:47

Inducing Plasticity of Astrocytic Receptors by Manipulation of Neuronal Firing Rates

Published on: March 20, 2014

14.5K

Bidirectional astrocytic GLUT1 activation by elevated extracellular K.

Ignacio Fernández-Moncada1,2, Daniel Robles-Maldonado1,3, Pablo Castro1

  • 1Centro de Estudios Científicos, Valdivia, Chile.

Glia
|December 5, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Extracellular potassium (K+) rapidly stimulates the astrocytic glucose transporter GLUT1, enhancing glucose uptake and release. This mechanism supports energy supply to active neurons and lactate production by astrocytes.

Keywords:
3-O-methylglucosefluorescence microscopygenetically encoded FRET sensorglucose transport

More Related Videos

Double-barreled and Concentric Microelectrodes for Measurement of Extracellular Ion Signals in Brain Tissue
11:08

Double-barreled and Concentric Microelectrodes for Measurement of Extracellular Ion Signals in Brain Tissue

Published on: September 5, 2015

14.1K
Dual Electrophysiological Recordings of Synaptically-evoked Astroglial and Neuronal Responses in Acute Hippocampal Slices
16:38

Dual Electrophysiological Recordings of Synaptically-evoked Astroglial and Neuronal Responses in Acute Hippocampal Slices

Published on: November 26, 2012

27.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 27, 2025

Inducing Plasticity of Astrocytic Receptors by Manipulation of Neuronal Firing Rates
12:47

Inducing Plasticity of Astrocytic Receptors by Manipulation of Neuronal Firing Rates

Published on: March 20, 2014

14.5K
Double-barreled and Concentric Microelectrodes for Measurement of Extracellular Ion Signals in Brain Tissue
11:08

Double-barreled and Concentric Microelectrodes for Measurement of Extracellular Ion Signals in Brain Tissue

Published on: September 5, 2015

14.1K
Dual Electrophysiological Recordings of Synaptically-evoked Astroglial and Neuronal Responses in Acute Hippocampal Slices
16:38

Dual Electrophysiological Recordings of Synaptically-evoked Astroglial and Neuronal Responses in Acute Hippocampal Slices

Published on: November 26, 2012

27.8K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cellular Metabolism
  • Astrocyte Biology

Background:

  • Neural activity increases extracellular potassium (K+), linking neuronal energy demand to astrocyte metabolism.
  • Elevated K+ in astrocytes activates glycolysis, inhibits mitochondrial respiration, and promotes lactate release.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of extracellular K+ on astrocytic glucose transporter GLUT1.
  • To elucidate the role of GLUT1 modulation in astrocyte-neuron metabolic coupling.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a genetically encoded FRET glucose sensor in cultured mouse astrocytes.
  • Employed a novel protocol involving 3-O-methylglucose trans-acceleration and numerical simulation of glucose dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Extracellular K+ was identified as a potent and reversible modulator of astrocytic GLUT1.
  • The stimulatory effect on GLUT1 occurred within seconds and was detectable at 1 mM incremental K+.
  • K+-induced modulation affected both glucose influx and efflux mediated by GLUT1.

Conclusions:

  • K+-mediated GLUT1 stimulation explains how astrocytes maintain glucose pools during high glycolytic demand.
  • This mechanism supports astrocyte lactate production and timely glucose delivery to active neurons.
  • Highlights a critical role for GLUT1 in astrocyte-neuron metabolic communication.