Highlights d AMPA receptors (AMPARs) with modified properties are expressed in OPCs in vivo d Channel-pore mutations of AMPARs affect functional properties of axon-OPC synapses d Expression of Ca 2+ -permeable AMPARs alters proliferation and differentiation of OPCs d Introducing the C-tail of the GluA2 subunit of AMPARs reduces differentiation of OPCs
The locus coeruleus (LC) was described in the 18th century by Félix Vicq d'Azyr as a blue spot located in the dorsal-rostral pons of freshly dissected brain. It contains densely packed medium-sized neurons that innervate the entire brain with unmyelinated projections. The LC provides relatively dense innervations to the thalamus and amygdala,
Fast chemical synaptic transmission is a major form of neuronal communication in the nervous system of mammals. Another important, but very different, form of intercellular communication is volume transmission, which is a slower non‐synaptic signaling. The amino acid glutamate is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, which mediates both synaptic and non‐synaptic signaling via ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors. Intriguingly, neurons establish glutamatergic synapses also with oligodendrocyte precursor cells (NG2+‐glia). Moreover, neuronal activity and glutamate receptors play an important role in the development and functionality of oligodendrocytes and their precursors in vivo. Yet, molecular characteristics and functional significance of neuron–glia synapses remain poorly understood, and it is unclear how glutamate receptors mediate the effects of neuronal activity on the oligodendrocyte lineage cells. In this review, we discuss what is known with regard to synaptic and non‐synaptic glutamatergic signaling between neurons and oligodendrocyte lineage cells, what can be suggested based on the current state of knowledge, and what is fully unknown and requires new research.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.