Tripartite synapses: astrocytes process and control synaptic information

Perea, Gertrudis; Navarrete, Marta; Araque, Alfonso

doi:10.1016/j.tins.2009.05.001

Cited by 1,468 publications

(1,209 citation statements)

References 101 publications

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“…Widely considered as an active partner of the tripartite synapse (Haydon, 2001; Perea et al, 2009), astroglial protrusions including PAPs seem to express a battery of proteins that are important for maintaining efficient synaptic transmission (Dityatev and Rusakov, 2011; Halassa et al, 2007a). Among these, immunoelectron microscopy (EM) and related methods have identified glutamine synthetase (Fig.…”

Section: Molecular Makeup Of Perisynaptic Astroglial Processes: Majormentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological plasticity of astroglia: Understanding synaptic microenvironment

Heller

Rusakov

2015

Glia

130

137

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Memory formation in the brain is thought to rely on the remodeling of synaptic connections which eventually results in neural network rewiring. This remodeling is likely to involve ultrathin astroglial protrusions which often occur in the immediate vicinity of excitatory synapses. The phenomenology, cellular mechanisms, and causal relationships of such astroglial restructuring remain, however, poorly understood. This is in large part because monitoring and probing of the underpinning molecular machinery on the scale of nanoscopic astroglial compartments remains a challenge. Here we briefly summarize the current knowledge regarding the cellular organisation of astroglia in the synaptic microenvironment and discuss molecular mechanisms potentially involved in use‐dependent astroglial morphogenesis. We also discuss recent observations concerning morphological astroglial plasticity, the respective monitoring methods, and some of the newly emerging techniques that might help with conceptual advances in the area. GLIA 2015;63:2133–2151

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Section: Molecular Makeup Of Perisynaptic Astroglial Processes: Majormentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological plasticity of astroglia: Understanding synaptic microenvironment

Heller

Rusakov

2015

Glia

130

137

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“…We already know that astrocytes may actively modulate transmission in neuronal networks and affect synaptic plasticity 111 ; we may also assume that astroglial circuits can, together with neurons, participate in cognition, learning, and memory. However, this remains an assumption, and more experimental data are required to understand the role of glial cells in higher brain functions.…”

Section: Signaling In Neuronal-glial Circuits 1) Glial Cells Express mentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrocytes in Alzheimer's Disease

et al. 2010

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Summary:The circuitry of the human brain is formed by neuronal networks embedded into astroglial syncytia. The astrocytes perform numerous functions, providing for the overall brain homeostasis, assisting in neurogenesis, determining the micro-architecture of the grey matter, and defending the brain through evolutionary conserved astrogliosis programs.Astroglial cells are engaged in neurological diseases by determining the progression and outcome of neuropathological process. Astrocytes are specifically involved in various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and various forms of dementia. Recent evidence suggest that early stages of neurodegenerative processes are associated with atrophy of astroglia, which causes disruptions in synaptic connectivity, disbalance in neurotransmitter homeostasis, and neuronal death through increased excitotoxicity. At the later stages, astrocytes become activated and contribute to the neuroinflammatory component of neurodegeneration.

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“…In higher animals the substrate responsible for learning and memory consists of specialized cells, mainly neurons and their connections, known as synapses [but see also, for instance, Perea et al (2009) for astrocytes and Stocker and Durham (2009) for protozoa]. How do we know that neurons and their connections are really related to learning and memory?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time scales of memory, learning, and plasticity

et al. 2012

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If we stored every bit of input, the storage capacity of our nervous system would be reached after only about 10 days. The nervous system relies on at least two mechanisms that counteract this capacity limit: compression and forgetting. But the latter mechanism needs to know how long an entity should be stored: some memories are relevant only for the next few minutes, some are important even after the passage of several years. Psychology and physiology have found and described many different memory mechanisms, and these mechanisms indeed use different time scales. In this prospect we review these mechanisms with respect to their time scale and propose relations between mechanisms in learning and memory and their underlying physiological basis.

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Tripartite synapses: astrocytes process and control synaptic information

Cited by 1,468 publications

References 101 publications

Morphological plasticity of astroglia: Understanding synaptic microenvironment

Morphological plasticity of astroglia: Understanding synaptic microenvironment

Astrocytes in Alzheimer's Disease

Time scales of memory, learning, and plasticity

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