Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration

Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration

Calcium is an essential signaling molecule required for various cellular functions. Calcium pumps and ion channels on cell and organellar membranes, such as those on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), regulate calcium concentrations inside the cell. They remain closed, keeping the cytosolic calcium levels low at a resting state.
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

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...

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...

Endocrine Signaling

Endocrine Signaling

Endocrine cells produce hormones to communicate with remote target cells found in other organs. The hormone reaches these distant areas using the circulatory system. This exposes the whole organism to the hormone but only those cells expressing hormone receptors or target cells are affected. Thus, endocrine signaling induces slow responses from its target cells but these effects also last longer.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Astrocytes viewed through the lens of their proteomes and subproteomes.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026

Same author

POCO: Scalable Neural Forecasting through Population Conditioning.

Advances in neural information processing systems·2026

Same author

A neuron-glia circuit anticipates hypoxia to regulate organismal oxygen use.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Astrocyte-induced internal state transitions reshape brainwide sensory, integrative, and motor computations.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Synchronization of behavioral and cardiac dynamics in larval zebrafish.

Cell reports·2026

Same author

In Science Journals.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Imaging Intracellular Ca2+ Signals in Striatal Astrocytes from Adult Mice Using Genetically-encoded Calcium Indicators

Imaging Intracellular Ca2+ Signals in Striatal Astrocytes from Adult Mice Using Genetically-encoded Calcium Indicators

Published on: November 19, 2014

Astrocyte Calcium Signaling.

Misha B Ahrens¹, Baljit S Khakh², Kira E Poskanzer³

¹Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia 20147, USA ahrensm@janelia.hhmi.org bkhakh@mednet.ucla.edu kira.poskanzer@ucsf.edu.

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

|May 20, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Astrocyte calcium (Ca²⁺) signaling, crucial for brain function, is increasingly understood through advanced imaging and manipulation techniques. This review highlights recent progress and future directions in studying these glial cell signals and their impact on neural circuits and behavior.

More Related Videos

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

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

Published on: November 26, 2012

Visualizing Shifts on Neuron-Glia Circuit with the Calcium Imaging Technique

Visualizing Shifts on Neuron-Glia Circuit with the Calcium Imaging Technique

Published on: April 8, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Imaging Intracellular Ca2+ Signals in Striatal Astrocytes from Adult Mice Using Genetically-encoded Calcium Indicators

Imaging Intracellular Ca2+ Signals in Striatal Astrocytes from Adult Mice Using Genetically-encoded Calcium Indicators

Published on: November 19, 2014

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

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

Published on: November 26, 2012

Visualizing Shifts on Neuron-Glia Circuit with the Calcium Imaging Technique

Visualizing Shifts on Neuron-Glia Circuit with the Calcium Imaging Technique

Published on: April 8, 2022

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cellular Biology
Glial Cell Biology

Background:

Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in the central nervous system.
They engage in complex interactions with neurons, blood vessels, and other glial cells.
Astrocyte intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) signaling has been a focus of research for over three decades.

Purpose of the Study:

To summarize recent advancements in the study of astrocyte intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling.
To discuss the potential functions of astrocyte Ca²⁺ signaling.
To provide a framework for interpreting behavioral studies related to astrocyte Ca²⁺ signals.

Main Methods:

Review of recent progress in imaging, silencing, activating, and analyzing astrocyte Ca²⁺ signals.
Exploration of species-specific relationships between astrocyte Ca²⁺ signals and neural circuit function.
Development of a framework for mechanistically interpreting behavioral studies to identify causal effects.

Main Results:

Significant progress has been made in techniques for studying astrocyte Ca²⁺ dynamics.
Astrocyte Ca²⁺ signals are linked to neural circuit function and behavior across various species.
New insights allow for a more mechanistic understanding of how these signals influence behavior.

Conclusions:

Recent technological and analytical advances have deepened our understanding of astrocyte Ca²⁺ signaling.
Astrocyte Ca²⁺ signals play a critical role in modulating neural activity and behavior.
Future research should focus on novel avenues to further elucidate the causal roles of astrocyte Ca²⁺ signaling.