A Journey between Neurons and Astrocytes: A Tribute to Giorgio Carmignoto

Micaela Zonta ^1,2, Stefano Vicini ³, Nicoletta Berardi ^4,5

¹Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Padova, Italy. micaela.zonta@cnr.it.
²Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. micaela.zonta@cnr.it.
³Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
⁴Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
⁵Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.
⁶Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.
⁷Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
⁸Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
⁹Institute of Nanoscience, National Research Council (CNR), Modena, Italy.
¹⁰Department Biomedical Science, Metabolic and Neuroscience, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
¹¹Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Padova, Italy.
¹²Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. Alexej.Verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk.
¹³Department of Neurosciences, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain. Alexej.Verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk.
¹⁴IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain. Alexej.Verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk.
¹⁵International Joint Research Centre on Purinergic Signalling of Sichuan, Province Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China. Alexej.Verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk.
¹⁶Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Digestive Cancer Research, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Alexej.Verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk.
¹⁷, 16 Celica, BIOMEDICAL, Technology Park, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Alexej.Verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk.
¹⁸Department of Forensic Analytical Toxicology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China. Alexej.Verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk.

⁰Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Padova, Italy. micaela.zonta@cnr.it.

Neurochemical Research +

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September 4, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Astrocytes regulate blood flow by controlling blood vessel diameter through calcium signals, linking neuronal activity to increased blood supply. This research highlights their crucial role in brain function.

Area Of Science

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Vascular Biology

Background

The relationship between astrocytes and blood vessels has been recognized since the 19th century.
Astrocytes were hypothesized to regulate functional hyperemia, the increase in blood flow associated with neuronal activity.
Previous work suggested a role for astrocytes in modulating cerebral blood flow.

Keywords:

Astrocyte: calcium signalling; functional hyperaemia History Neuron-astrocyte signalling