Functional Roles of Astrocyte Calcium Elevations: From Synapses to Behavior

Astrocytes are fundamental players in the regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity. They display unique morphological and phenotypical features that allow to monitor and to dynamically respond to changes. One of the hallmarks of the astrocytic response is the generation of calcium elevatio...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor principal: Gomes, Sónia Isabel Nunes Guerra (author)
Outros Autores: Sousa, Nuno (author), Pinto, Luísa (author), Oliveira, João F. (author)
Formato: article
Idioma:eng
Publicado em: 2018
Assuntos:
Texto completo:http://hdl.handle.net/1822/57861
País:Portugal
Oai:oai:repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt:1822/57861
Descrição
Resumo:Astrocytes are fundamental players in the regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity. They display unique morphological and phenotypical features that allow to monitor and to dynamically respond to changes. One of the hallmarks of the astrocytic response is the generation of calcium elevations, which further affect downstream cellular processes. Technical advances in the field have allowed to spatially and to temporally quantify and qualify these elevations. However, the impact on brain function remains poorly understood. In this review, we discuss evidences of the functional impact of heterogeneous astrocytic calcium events in several brain regions, and their consequences in synapses, circuits, and behavior.