Astrocytes modulate sensory-evoked neuronal network activity

P2Y1 receptor in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most frequent form of dementia characterized by the deposition of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles consisting of hyperphosphorylated tau. Targeting amyloid-beta plaques has been a primary direction for developing Alzheimer's disease treatments in the last decades. However, existing drugs targeting amyloid-beta plaques have not fully yielded the expected results in the clinic, necessitating the exploration of alternative therapeutic strategies. Increasing evidence unravels that astrocyte morphology and function alter in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients, with dysregulated astrocytic purinergic receptors, particularly the P2Y1 receptor, all of which constitute the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease. These receptors are not only crucial for maintaining normal astrocyte function but are also highly implicated in neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease. This review delves into recent insights into the association between P2Y1 receptor and Alzheimer's disease to underscore the potential neuroprotective role of P2Y1 receptor in Alzheimer's disease by mitigating neuroinflammation, thus offering promising avenues for developing drugs for Alzheimer's disease and potentially contributing to the development of more effective treatments.

Glial Control of Cortical Neuronal Circuit Maturation and Plasticity

The brain is a highly adaptable organ that is molded by experience throughout life. Although the field of neuroscience has historically focused on intrinsic neuronal mechanisms of plasticity, there is growing evidence that multiple glial populations regulate the timing and extent of neuronal plasticity, particularly over the course of development. This review highlights recent discoveries on the role of glial cells in the establishment of cortical circuits and the regulation of experience-dependent neuronal plasticity during critical periods of neurodevelopment. These studies provide strong evidence that neuronal circuit maturation and plasticity are non-cell autonomous processes that require both glial-neuronal and glial-glial cross talk to proceed. We conclude by discussing open questions that will continue to guide research in this nascent field.

Autoimmune inflammation triggers aberrant astrocytic calcium signaling to impair synaptic plasticity

Cortical pathology involving inflammatory and neurodegenerative mechanisms is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis and a correlate of disease progression and cognitive decline. Astrocytes play a pivotal role in multiple sclerosis initiation and progression but astrocyte-neuronal network alterations contributing to gray matter pathology remain undefined. Here we unveil deregulation of astrocytic calcium signaling and astrocyte-to-neuron communication as key pathophysiological mechanisms of cortical dysfunction in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of multiple sclerosis. Using two-photon imaging ex vivo and fiber photometry in freely behaving mice, we found that acute EAE was associated with the emergence of spontaneously hyperactive cortical astrocytes exhibiting dysfunctional responses to cannabinoid, glutamate and purinoreceptor agonists. Abnormal astrocyte signaling by Gi and Gq protein coupled receptors was observed in the inflamed cortex. This was mirrored by treatments with pro-inflammatory factors both in vitro and ex vivo, suggesting cell-autonomous effects of the cortical neuroinflammatory environment. Finally, deregulated astrocyte calcium activity was associated with an enhancement of glutamatergic gliotransmission and a shift of astrocyte-mediated short-term and long-term plasticity mechanisms towards synaptic potentiation. Overall, our data identify astrocyte-neuronal network dysfunctions as key pathological features of gray matter inflammation in multiple sclerosis and potentially additional neuroimmunological disorders.

Acetate enables metabolic fitness and cognitive performance during sleep disruption

Sleep is essential for overall health, and its disruption is linked to increased risks of metabolic, cognitive, and cardiovascular dysfunctions; however, the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated how sleep disturbances contribute to metabolic imbalance and cognition impairment using a chronic sleep fragmentation (SF) mouse model. SF mice exhibited impaired cognition, glucose metabolism, and insulin sensitivity compared with controls. We identified increased acetate levels in hypothalamic astrocytes as a defensive response in SF mice. Through acetate infusion or astrocyte-specific Acss1 deletion to elevate acetate levels, we observed mitigated metabolic and cognitive impairments in SF mice. Mechanistically, acetate binds and activates pyruvate carboxylase, thereby restoring glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Among individuals most commonly affected by SF, patients with obstructive sleep apnea exhibited elevated acetate levels when coupled with type 2 diabetes. Our study uncovers the protective effect of acetate against sleep-induced metabolic and cognitive impairments.

Astrocyte Activation in the ACC Contributes to Comorbid Anxiety in Chronic Inflammatory Pain and Involves in The Excitation-Inhibition Imbalance

Neurons within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) orchestrate the co-occurrence of chronic pain and anxiety. The ACC hyperactivity plays a crucial role in the emotional impact of neuropathic pain. Astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammatory is responsible for regulating the balance between excitation-inhibition (E/I) in the brain. However, there is limited understanding of the possible contributions of astrocytes in the ACC to comorbidity of anxiety and chronic inflammatory pain. This paper aims to investigate the possible contribution of astrocytes in the ACC to the comorbidity between anxiety and chronic inflammatory pain, as well as their involvement in the E/I imbalance of pyramidal cells. Our results show that CFA rats displayed allodynia and anxiety-like behaviors. The E/I balance in the ACC shifts to excitement in comorbidity of chronic pain and anxiety by western blotting, and electrophysiological recording. Result of RNA-Seq also indicated that E/I imbalance and neuroinflammation of ACC were involved in pain-anxiety comorbidity. Then, positive cells of GFAP but not Iba1 in the contralateral ACC were increased; the mRNA expression of GFAP and its activation-related proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) in the contralateral ACC were also elevated. Furthermore, specific chemogenic inhibition of ACC astrocytes reversed comorbid pain and anxiety and suppressed high ACC excitability. Our data suggest that astrocytes participate in comorbid pain and anxiety and excitation-inhibition imbalance in ACC. Inhibition astrocyte activation can reduce anxiety related to pain and restore the imbalance in the ACC. These findings shed light on the involvement of astrocytes in comorbid conditions, offering valuable insights into a potential therapeutic approach for the co-occurrence of chronic pain and anxiety.

A spatial threshold for astrocyte calcium surge

Astrocytes are active cells involved in brain function through the bidirectional communication with neurons, in which the astrocyte calcium signal plays a crucial role. Synaptically-evoked calcium increases can be localized to independent subcellular domains or expand to the entire cell, i.e., calcium surge. In turn, astrocytes may regulate individual synapses by calcium-dependent release of gliotransmitters. Because a single astrocyte may contact ∼100,000 synapses, the control of the intracellular calcium signal propagation may have relevant consequences on brain function by regulating the spatial range of astrocyte neuromodulation of synapses. Yet, the properties governing the spatial dynamics of the astrocyte calcium signal remains poorly defined. Imaging subcellular responses of cortical astrocytes to sensory stimulation in mice, we show that sensory-evoked astrocyte calcium responses originated and remained localized in domains of the astrocytic arborization, but eventually propagated to the entire cell if a spatial threshold of >23% of the arborization being activated was surpassed. Using transgenic IP 3 R2 -/- mice, we found that type-2 IP 3 receptors were necessary for the generation of the astrocyte calcium surge. We finally show using in situ electrophysiological recordings that the spatial threshold of the astrocyte calcium signal consequently determined the gliotransmitter release. Present results reveal a fundamental property of astrocyte calcium physiology, i.e., a spatial threshold for the astrocyte intracellular calcium signal propagation, which depends on astrocyte intrinsic properties and governs the astrocyte integration of local synaptic activity and the subsequent neuromodulation.

One-Sentence Summary

There is a spatial threshold for the astrocyte intracellular calcium signal propagation that is determined by astrocyte intrinsic properties and controls gliotransmission.

Spatiotemporally selective astrocytic ATP dynamics encode injury information sensed by microglia following brain injury in mice

Injuries to the brain result in tunable cell responses paired with stimulus properties, suggesting the existence of intrinsic processes that encode and transmit injury information; however, the molecular mechanism of injury information encoding is unclear. Here, using ATP fluorescent indicators, we identify injury-evoked spatiotemporally selective ATP dynamics, Inflares, in adult mice of both sexes. Inflares are actively released from astrocytes and act as the internal representations of injury. Inflares encode injury intensity and position at their population level through frequency changes and are further decoded by microglia, driving changes in their activation state. Mismatches between Inflares and injury severity lead to microglia dysfunction and worsening of injury outcome. Blocking Inflares in ischemic stroke in mice reduces secondary damage and improves recovery of function. Our results suggest that astrocytic ATP dynamics encode injury information and are sensed by microglia.

Astroglial networks control visual responses of superior collicular neurons and sensory-motor behavior

Astroglial networks closely interact with neuronal populations, but their functional contribution to neuronal representation of sensory information remains unexplored. The superior colliculus (SC) integrates multi-sensory information by generating distinct spatial patterns of neuronal functional responses to specific sensory stimulation. Here, we report that astrocytes from the mouse SC form extensive networks in the retinorecipient layer compared to visual cortex. This strong astroglial connectivity relies on high expression of gap-junction proteins. Genetic disruption of this connectivity functionally impairs SC retinotopic and orientation preference responses. These alterations are region specific, absent in primary visual cortex, and associated at the circuit level with a specific impairment of collicular neurons synaptic transmission. This has implications for SC-related visually induced innate behavior, as disrupting astroglial networks impairs light-evoked temporary arrest. Our results indicate that astroglial networks shape synaptic circuit activity underlying SC functional visual responses and play a crucial role in integrating visual cues to drive sensory-motor behavior.

How omics is revealing new roles for glia in addiction

Experiments to study the biology of addiction have historically focused on the mechanisms through which drugs of abuse drive changes in the functioning of neurons and neural circuits. Glia have often been ignored in these studies, however, and this has left many questions in the field unanswered, particularly, surrounding how glia contribute to changes in synaptic plasticity, regulation of neuroinflammation, and functioning of neural ensembles given massive changes in signaling across the CNS. Omics methods (transcriptomics, translatomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and others) have expanded researchers' abilities to generate hypotheses and carry out mechanistic studies of glial cells during acquisition of drug taking, intoxication, withdrawal, and relapse to drug seeking. Here, we present a survey of how omics technological advances are revising our understanding of astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, and ependymal cells in addiction biology.

Astrocytic Calcium Signaling Toolkit (astroCaST): efficient analysis of dynamic astrocytic calcium events

The Astrocytic Calcium Signaling Toolkit (astroCaST) is a novel solution to a longstanding challenge in neuroscience research: the specialized analysis of astrocytic calcium events within fluorescence time-series imaging. Distinct from existing neuron-centric tools, astroCaST is adept at detecting and clustering astrocytic calcium events based on their unique spatiotemporal characteristics, thus filling a gap in astrocytic research methodologies. This toolkit not only facilitates the detection of such events but also extends its utility to provide comprehensive end-to-end analysis. This feature is absent in most tools targeting astrocytic activity. AstroCaST's development was motivated by the critical need for dedicated software that supports researchers in transitioning from raw video data to insightful experimental conclusions, efficiently managing large-scale datasets without compromising computational speed. It offers a user-friendly interface that caters to both novice and expert users, incorporating both a graphical user interface (GUI) for detailed explorations and a command-line interface (CLI) for extensive analyses. Expected outcomes from utilizing astroCaST include the ability to process and analyze a significantly larger volume of data. This enables a more profound and comprehensive analysis than previously possible, addressing the demands of large-scale astrocytic studies. In summary, astroCaST aims to advance astrocytic calcium imaging analysis, offering a tailored, efficient, and comprehensive toolset that enhances our understanding of astrocytic functions and their implications in neuroscience.

ZL006 mitigates anxiety-like behaviors induced by closed head injury through modulation of the neural circuit from the medial prefrontal cortex to amygdala

Closed head injury is a prevalent form of traumatic brain injury with poorly understood effects on cortical neural circuits. Given the emotional and behavioral impairments linked to closed head injury, it is vital to uncover brain functional deficits and their driving mechanisms. In this study, we employed a robust viral tracing technique to identify the alteration of the neural pathway connecting the medial prefrontal cortex to the basolateral amygdala, and we observed the disruptions in neuronal projections between the medial prefrontal cortex and the basolateral amygdala following closed head injury. Remarkably, our results highlight that ZL006, an inhibitor targeting PSD-95/nNOS interaction, stands out for its ability to selectively reverse these aberrations. Specifically, ZL006 effectively mitigates the disruptions in neuronal projections from the medial prefrontal cortex to basolateral amygdala induced by closed head injury. Furthermore, using chemogenetic approaches, we elucidate that activating the medial prefrontal cortex projections to the basolateral amygdala circuit produces anxiolytic effects, aligning with the therapeutic potential of ZL006. Additionally, ZL006 administration effectively mitigates astrocyte activation, leading to the restoration of medial prefrontal cortex glutamatergic neuron activity. Moreover, in the context of attenuating anxiety-like behaviors through ZL006 treatment, we observe a reduction in closed head injury-induced astrocyte engulfment, which may correlate with the observed decrease in dendritic spine density of medial prefrontal cortex glutamatergic neurons.

Norepinephrine changes behavioral state via astroglial purinergic signaling

Both neurons and glia communicate via diffusible neuromodulatory substances, but the substrates of computation in such neuromodulatory networks are unclear. During behavioral transitions in the larval zebrafish, the neuromodulator norepinephrine drives fast excitation and delayed inhibition of behavior and circuit activity. We find that the inhibitory arm of this feedforward motif is implemented by astroglial purinergic signaling. Neuromodulator imaging, behavioral pharmacology, and perturbations of neurons and astroglia reveal that norepinephrine triggers astroglial release of adenosine triphosphate, extracellular conversion into adenosine, and behavioral suppression through activation of hindbrain neuronal adenosine receptors. This work, along with a companion piece by Lefton and colleagues demonstrating an analogous pathway mediating the effect of norepinephrine on synaptic connectivity in mice, identifies a computational and behavioral role for an evolutionarily conserved astroglial purinergic signaling axis in norepinephrine-mediated behavioral and brain state transitions.

Functional diversities within neurons and astrocytes in the adult rat auditory cortex revealed by single-nucleus RNA sequencing

The mammalian cerebral cortex is composed of a rich diversity of cell types. Cortical cells are organized into networks that rely on their functional diversity to ultimately carry out a variety of sophisticated cognitive functions. To investigate the breadth of transcriptional diverse cell types in the sensory cortex, we have used single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) in the auditory cortex of the adult rat. A variety of unique excitatory and inhibitory neuron types were identified. In addition, we report for the first time a diversity of astrocytes in the auditory cortex that may represent functionally unique subtypes. Together, these results pave the way for building models of how neurons in the sensory cortex work in concert with astrocytes at synapses to fulfill high-cognitive functions like learning and memory.

Astrocytes in selective vulnerability to neurodegenerative disease

Selective vulnerability of specific brain regions and cell populations is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders. Mechanisms of selective vulnerability involve neuronal heterogeneity, functional specializations, and differential sensitivities to stressors and pathogenic factors. In this review we discuss the growing body of literature suggesting that, like neurons, astrocytes are heterogeneous and specialized, respond to and integrate diverse inputs, and induce selective effects on brain function. In disease, astrocytes undergo specific, context-dependent changes that promote different pathogenic trajectories and functional outcomes. We propose that astrocytes contribute to selective vulnerability through maladaptive transitions to context-divergent phenotypes that impair specific brain regions and functions. Further studies on the multifaceted roles of astrocytes in disease may provide new therapeutic approaches to enhance resilience against neurodegenerative disorders.

Astrocytes in the adult dentate gyrus-balance between adult and developmental tasks

Astrocytes, a major glial cell type in the brain, are indispensable for the integration, maintenance and survival of neurons during development and adulthood. Both life phases make specific demands on the molecular and physiological properties of astrocytes, and most research projects traditionally focus on either developmental or adult astrocyte functions. In most brain regions, the generation of brain cells and the establishment of neural circuits ends with postnatal development. However, few neurogenic niches exist in the adult brain in which new neurons and glial cells are produced lifelong, and the integration of new cells into functional circuits represent a very special form of plasticity. Consequently, in the neurogenic niche, the astrocytes must be equipped to execute both mature and developmental tasks in order to integrate newborn neurons into the circuit and yet maintain overall homeostasis without affecting the preexisting neurons. In this review, we focus on astrocytes of the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), and discuss specific features of the astrocytic compartment that may allow the execution of both tasks. Firstly, astrocytes of the adult DG are molecularly, morphologically and functionally diverse, and the distinct astrocytes subtypes are characterized by their localization to DG layers. This spatial separation may lead to a functional specification of astrocytes subtypes according to the neuronal structures they are embedded in, hence a division of labor. Secondly, the astrocytic compartment is not static, but steadily increasing in numbers due to lifelong astrogenesis. Interestingly, astrogenesis can adapt to environmental and behavioral stimuli, revealing an unexpected astrocyte dynamic that allows the niche to adopt to changing demands. The diversity and dynamic of astrocytes in the adult DG implicate a vital contribution to hippocampal plasticity and represent an interesting model to uncover mechanisms how astrocytes simultaneously fulfill developmental and adult tasks.

Computational modeling of neuron-glia signaling interactions to unravel cellular and neural circuit functioning

Glial cells have been shown to be vital for various brain functions, including homeostasis, information processing, and cognition. Over the past 30 years, various signaling interactions between neuronal and glial cells have been shown to underlie these functions. This review summarizes the interactions, particularly between neurons and astrocytes, which are types of glial cells. Some of the interactions remain controversial in part due to the nature of experimental methods and preparations used. Based on the accumulated data, computational models of the neuron-astrocyte interactions have been developed to explain the complex functions of astrocytes in neural circuits and to test conflicting hypotheses. This review presents the most significant recent models, modeling methods and simulation tools for neuron-astrocyte interactions. In the future, we will especially need more experimental research on awake animals in vivo and new computational models of neuron-glia interactions to advance our understanding of cellular dynamics and the functioning of neural circuits in different brain regions.

Random fluctuations and synaptic plasticity enhance working memory activities in the neuron-astrocyte network

Random fluctuations are inescapable feature in biological systems, but appropriate intensity of randomness can effectively facilitate information transfer and memory encoding within the nervous system. In the study, a modified spiking neuron-astrocyte network model with excitatory-inhibitory balance and synaptic plasticity is established. This model considers external input noise, and allows investigating the effects of intrinsic random fluctuations on working memory tasks. It is found that the astrocyte network, acting as a low-pass filter, reduces the noise component of the total input currents and improves the recovered images. The memory performance is enhanced by selecting appropriate intensity of random fluctuations, while excessive intensity can inhibit signal transmission of network. As the intensity of random fluctuations gradually increases, there exists a maximum value of the working memory performance. The cued recall of the network markedly decreases excessive input noise relative to test images. Meanwhile, a greater contrast effect is observed as the external input noise increases. In addition, synaptic plasticity reduces the firing rates and firing peaks of neurons, thus stabilizing the working memory activity during the test. The outcomes of this study may provide some inspirations for comprehending the role of random fluctuations in working memory mechanisms and neural information processing within the cerebral cortex.

Molecularly stratified hypothalamic astrocytes are cellular foci for obesity

Astrocytes safeguard the homeostasis of the central nervous system1,2. Despite their prominent morphological plasticity under conditions that challenge the brain's adaptive capacity3-5, the classification of astrocytes, and relating their molecular make-up to spatially devolved neuronal operations that specify behavior or metabolism, remained mostly futile6,7. Although it seems unexpected in the era of single-cell biology, the lack of a major advance in stratifying astrocytes under physiological conditions rests on the incompatibility of 'neurocentric' algorithms that rely on stable developmental endpoints, lifelong transcriptional, neurotransmitter, and neuropeptide signatures for classification6-8 with the dynamic functional states, anatomic allocation, and allostatic plasticity of astrocytes1. Simplistically, therefore, astrocytes are still grouped as 'resting' vs. 'reactive', the latter referring to pathological states marked by various inducible genes3,9,10. Here, we introduced a machine learning-based feature recognition algorithm that benefits from the cumulative power of published single-cell RNA-seq data on astrocytes as a reference map to stepwise eliminate pleiotropic and inducible cellular features. For the healthy hypothalamus, this walk-back approach revealed gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that specified subsets of astrocytes, and could be used as landmarking tools for their anatomical assignment. The core molecular censuses retained by astrocyte subsets were sufficient to stratify them by allostatic competence, chiefly their signaling and metabolic interplay with neurons. Particularly, we found differentially expressed mitochondrial genes in insulin-sensing astrocytes and demonstrated their reciprocal signaling with neurons that work antagonistically within the food intake circuitry. As a proof-of-concept, we showed that disrupting Mfn2 expression in astrocytes reduced their ability to support dynamic circuit reorganization, a time-locked feature of satiety in the hypothalamus, thus leading to obesity in mice. Overall, our results suggest that astrocytes in the healthy brain are fundamentally more heterogeneous than previously thought and topologically mirror the specificity of local neurocircuits.

Pathological phenotypes of astrocytes in Alzheimer's disease

Astrocytes are involved in various processes in the central nervous system (CNS). As the most abundant cell type in the CNS, astrocytes play an essential role in neuronal maintenance and support, synaptic activity, neuronal metabolism, and amyloid-beta (Aβ) clearance. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with cognitive and behavioral impairment. The transformation of astrocytes is involved in various neurodegenerative diseases, such as AD. Since astrocytes have functional diversity and morphological and physiological heterogeneity in the CNS, AD-related astrocytes might show various pathological phenotypes during AD. Astrocytes developing pathological phenotypes could contribute to AD progression. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathological phenotypes of astrocytes in the context of AD, highlighting recent findings in human and mouse AD.

Astrocytic crosstalk with brain and immune cells in healthy and diseased conditions

Astrocytes interact with various cell types, including neurons, vascular cells, microglia, and peripheral immune cells. These interactions are crucial for regulating normal brain functions as well as modulating neuroinflammation in pathological conditions. Recent transcriptomic and proteomic studies have identified critical molecules involved in astrocytic crosstalk with other cells, shedding light on their roles in maintaining brain homeostasis in both healthy and diseased conditions. Astrocytes perform these various roles through either direct or indirect physical associations with neuronal synapses and vasculature. Furthermore, astrocytes can communicate with other immune cells, such as microglia, T cells, and natural killer cells, through secreted molecules during neuroinflammation. In this review, we discuss the critical molecular basis of this astrocytic crosstalk and the underlying mechanisms of astrocyte communication with other cells. We propose that astrocytes function as a central hub in inter-connecting neurons, vasculatures, and immune cells in healthy and diseased brains.

Astrocytes and Memory: Implications for the Treatment of Memory-related Disorders

Memory refers to the imprint accumulated in the brain by life experiences and represents the basis for humans to engage in advanced psychological activities such as thinking and imagination. Previously, research activities focused on memory have always targeted neurons. However, in addition to neurons, astrocytes are also involved in the encoding, consolidation, and extinction of memory. In particular, astrocytes are known to affect the recruitment and function of neurons at the level of local synapses and brain networks. Moreover, the involvement of astrocytes in memory and memory-related disorders, especially in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has been investigated extensively. In this review, we describe the unique contributions of astrocytes to synaptic plasticity and neuronal networks and discuss the role of astrocytes in different types of memory processing. In addition, we also explore the roles of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of memory-related disorders, such as AD, brain aging, PTSD and addiction, thus suggesting that targeting astrocytes may represent a potential strategy to treat memory-related neurological diseases. In conclusion, this review emphasizes that thinking from the perspective of astrocytes will provide new ideas for the diagnosis and therapy of memory-related neurological disorders.

Astrocytes in Pain Perception: A Systems Neuroscience Approach

Astrocytes play an active role in the function of the brain integrating neuronal activity and regulating back neuronal dynamic. They have recently emerged as active contributors of brain's emergent properties such as perceptions. Here, we analyzed the role of astrocytes in pain perception from the lens of systems neuroscience, and we do this by analyzing how astrocytes encode nociceptive information within brain processing areas and how they are key regulators of the internal state that determines pain perception. Specifically, we discuss the dynamic interactions between astrocytes and neuromodulators, such as noradrenaline, highlighting their role in shaping the level of activation of the neuronal ensemble, thereby influencing the experience of pain. Also, we will discuss the possible implications of an "Astro-NeuroMatrix" in the integration of pain across sensory, affective, and cognitive dimensions of pain perception.

Radial astrocyte synchronization modulates the visual system during behavioral-state transitions

Glial cells support the function of neurons. Recent evidence shows that astrocytes are also involved in brain computations. To explore whether and how their excitable nature affects brain computations and motor behaviors, we used two-photon Ca2+ imaging of zebrafish larvae expressing GCaMP in both neurons and radial astrocytes (RAs). We found that in the optic tectum, RAs synchronize their Ca2+ transients immediately after the end of an escape behavior. Using optogenetics, ablations, and a genetically encoded norepinephrine sensor, we observed that RA synchronous Ca2+ events are mediated by the locus coeruleus (LC)-norepinephrine circuit. RA synchronization did not induce direct excitation or inhibition of tectal neurons. Nevertheless, it modulated the direction selectivity and the long-distance functional correlations among neurons. This mechanism supports freezing behavior following a switch to an alerted state. These results show that LC-mediated neuro-glial interactions modulate the visual system during transitions between behavioral states.

A human in vitro neuronal model for studying homeostatic plasticity at the network level

Mechanisms that underlie homeostatic plasticity have been extensively investigated at single-cell levels in animal models, but are less well understood at the network level. Here, we used microelectrode arrays to characterize neuronal networks following induction of homeostatic plasticity in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived glutamatergic neurons co-cultured with rat astrocytes. Chronic suppression of neuronal activity through tetrodotoxin (TTX) elicited a time-dependent network re-arrangement. Increased expression of AMPA receptors and the elongation of axon initial segments were associated with increased network excitability following TTX treatment. Transcriptomic profiling of TTX-treated neurons revealed up-regulated genes related to extracellular matrix organization, while down-regulated genes related to cell communication; also astrocytic gene expression was found altered. Overall, our study shows that hiPSC-derived neuronal networks provide a reliable in vitro platform to measure and characterize homeostatic plasticity at network and single-cell levels; this platform can be extended to investigate altered homeostatic plasticity in brain disorders.

A conceptual framework for astrocyte function

The participation of astrocytes in brain computation was hypothesized in 1992, coinciding with the discovery that these cells display a form of intracellular Ca2+ signaling sensitive to neuroactive molecules. This finding fostered conceptual leaps crystalized around the idea that astrocytes, once thought to be passive, participate actively in brain signaling and outputs. A multitude of disparate roles of astrocytes has since emerged, but their meaningful integration has been muddied by the lack of consensus and models of how we conceive the functional position of these cells in brain circuitry. In this Perspective, we propose an intuitive, data-driven and transferable conceptual framework we coin 'contextual guidance'. It describes astrocytes as 'contextual gates' that shape neural circuitry in an adaptive, state-dependent fashion. This paradigm provides fresh perspectives on principles of astrocyte signaling and its relevance to brain function, which could spur new experimental avenues, including in computational space.

Cerebrospinal fluid solute transport associated with sensorimotor brain activity in rodents

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is crucial for maintaining neuronal homeostasis, providing nutrition, and removing metabolic waste from the brain. However, the relationship between neuronal activity and CSF solute transport remains poorly understood. To investigate the effect of regional neuronal activity on CSF solute transport, Sprague-Dawley rats (all male, n = 30) under anesthesia received an intracisternal injection of a fluorescent tracer (Texas Red ovalbumin) and were subjected to unilateral electrical stimulation of a forelimb. Two groups (n = 10 each) underwent two different types of stimulation protocols for 90 min, one including intermittent 7.5-s resting periods and the other without rest. The control group was not stimulated. Compared to the control, the stimulation without resting periods led to increased transport across most of the cortical areas, including the ventricles. The group that received intermittent stimulation showed an elevated level of solute uptake in limited areas, i.e., near/within the ventricles and on the ventral brain surface. Interhemispheric differences in CSF solute transport were also found in the cortical regions that overlap with the forelimb sensorimotor area. These findings suggest that neuronal activity may trigger local and brain-wide increases in CSF solute transport, contributing to waste clearance.

Microglia and Astrocytes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Disease-Associated States, Pathological Roles, and Therapeutic Potential

Microglial and astrocytic reactivity is a prominent feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Microglia and astrocytes have been increasingly appreciated to play pivotal roles in disease pathogenesis. These cells can adopt distinct states characterized by a specific molecular profile or function depending on the different contexts of development, health, aging, and disease. Accumulating evidence from ALS rodent and cell models has demonstrated neuroprotective and neurotoxic functions from microglia and astrocytes. In this review, we focused on the recent advancements of knowledge in microglial and astrocytic states and nomenclature, the landmark discoveries demonstrating a clear contribution of microglia and astrocytes to ALS pathogenesis, and novel therapeutic candidates leveraging these cells that are currently undergoing clinical trials.

Astrocytes: new evidence, new models, new roles

Astrocytes have been in the limelight of active research for about 3 decades now. Over this period, ideas about their function and role in the nervous system have evolved from simple assistance in energy supply and homeostasis maintenance to a complex informational and metabolic hub that integrates data on local neuronal activity, sensory and arousal context, and orchestrates many crucial processes in the brain. Rapid progress in experimental techniques and data analysis produces a growing body of data, which can be used as a foundation for formulation of new hypotheses, building new refined mathematical models, and ultimately should lead to a new level of understanding of the contribution of astrocytes to the cognitive tasks performed by the brain. Here, we highlight recent progress in astrocyte research, which we believe expands our understanding of how low-level signaling at a cellular level builds up to processes at the level of the whole brain and animal behavior. We start our review with revisiting data on the role of noradrenaline-mediated astrocytic signaling in locomotion, arousal, sensory integration, memory, and sleep. We then briefly review astrocyte contribution to the regulation of cerebral blood flow regulation, which is followed by a discussion of biophysical mechanisms underlying astrocyte effects on different brain processes. The experimental section is closed by an overview of recent experimental techniques available for modulation and visualization of astrocyte dynamics. We then evaluate how the new data can be potentially incorporated into the new mathematical models or where and how it already has been done. Finally, we discuss an interesting prospect that astrocytes may be key players in important processes such as the switching between sleep and wakefulness and the removal of toxic metabolites from the brain milieu.

Optogenetic spinal stimulation promotes new axonal growth and skilled forelimb recovery in rats with sub-chronic cervical spinal cord injury

Objective.Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to debilitating sensorimotor deficits that greatly limit quality of life. This work aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of how to best promote functional recovery following SCI. Electrical spinal stimulation is one promising approach that is effective in both animal models and humans with SCI. Optogenetic stimulation is an alternative method of stimulating the spinal cord that allows for cell-type-specific stimulation. The present work investigates the effects of preferentially stimulating neurons within the spinal cord and not glial cells, termed 'neuron-specific' optogenetic spinal stimulation. We examined forelimb recovery, axonal growth, and vasculature after optogenetic or sham stimulation in rats with cervical SCI.Approach.Adult female rats received a moderate cervical hemicontusion followed by the injection of a neuron-specific optogenetic viral vector ipsilateral and caudal to the lesion site. Animals then began rehabilitation on the skilled forelimb reaching task. At four weeks post-injury, rats received a micro-light emitting diode (µLED) implant to optogenetically stimulate the caudal spinal cord. Stimulation began at six weeks post-injury and occurred in conjunction with activities to promote use of the forelimbs. Following six weeks of stimulation, rats were perfused, and tissue stained for GAP-43, laminin, Nissl bodies and myelin. Location of viral transduction and transduced cell types were also assessed.Main Results.Our results demonstrate that neuron-specific optogenetic spinal stimulation significantly enhances recovery of skilled forelimb reaching. We also found significantly more GAP-43 and laminin labeling in the optogenetically stimulated groups indicating stimulation promotes axonal growth and angiogenesis.Significance.These findings indicate that optogenetic stimulation is a robust neuromodulator that could enable future therapies and investigations into the role of specific cell types, pathways, and neuronal populations in supporting recovery after SCI.

Astrocyte metabolism and signaling pathways in the CNS

Astrocytes comprise half of the cells in the central nervous system and play a critical role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Metabolic dysfunction in astrocytes has been indicated as the primary cause of neurological diseases, such as depression, Alzheimer's disease, and epilepsy. Although the metabolic functionalities of astrocytes are well known, their relationship to neurological disorders is poorly understood. The ways in which astrocytes regulate the metabolism of glucose, amino acids, and lipids have all been implicated in neurological diseases. Metabolism in astrocytes has also exhibited a significant influence on neuron functionality and the brain's neuro-network. In this review, we focused on metabolic processes present in astrocytes, most notably the glucose metabolic pathway, the fatty acid metabolic pathway, and the amino-acid metabolic pathway. For glucose metabolism, we focused on the glycolysis pathway, pentose-phosphate pathway, and oxidative phosphorylation pathway. In fatty acid metabolism, we followed fatty acid oxidation, ketone body metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolism. For amino acid metabolism, we summarized neurotransmitter metabolism and the serine and kynurenine metabolic pathways. This review will provide an overview of functional changes in astrocyte metabolism and provide an overall perspective of current treatment and therapy for neurological disorders.

Microglia sense and suppress epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, undertaking surveillance role and reacting to brain homeostasis and neurological diseases. Recent studies indicate that microglia modulate epilepsy-induced neuronal activities, however, the mechanisms underlying microglia-neuron communication in epilepsy are still unclear. Here we report that epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability activates microglia and drives microglial ATP/ADP hydrolyzing ectoenzyme CD39 (encoded by Entpd1) expression via recruiting the cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB)-regulated transcription coactivator-1 (CRTC1) from cytoplasm to the nucleus and binding to CREB. Activated microglia in turn suppress epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability in a CD39 dependent manner. Disrupting microglial CREB/CRTC1 signaling, however, decreases CD39 expression and diminishes the inhibitory effect of microglia on epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability. Overall, our findings reveal CD39-dependent control of epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability by microglia is through an excitation-transcription coupling mechanism.

Astrocytes adjust the dynamic range of cortical network activity to control modality-specific sensory information processing

Cortical neuron-astrocyte communication in response to peripheral sensory stimulation occurs in a topographic-, frequency-, and intensity-dependent manner. However, the contribution of this functional interaction to the processing of sensory inputs and consequent behavior remains unclear. We investigate the role of astrocytes in sensory information processing at circuit and behavioral levels by monitoring and manipulating astrocytic activity in vivo. We show that astrocytes control the dynamic range of the cortical network activity, optimizing its responsiveness to incoming sensory inputs. The astrocytic modulation of sensory processing contributes to setting the detection threshold for tactile and thermal behavior responses. The mechanism of such astrocytic control is mediated through modulation of inhibitory transmission to adjust the gain and sensitivity of responding networks. These results uncover a role for astrocytes in maintaining the cortical network activity in an optimal range to control behavior associated with specific sensory modalities.

Basolateral Amygdala Astrocytes Are Engaged by the Acquisition and Expression of a Contextual Fear Memory

Astrocytes are key cellular regulators within the brain. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is implicated in fear memory processing, yet most research has entirely focused on neuronal mechanisms, despite a significant body of work implicating astrocytes in learning and memory. In the present study, we used in vivo fiber photometry in C57BL/6J male mice to record from amygdalar astrocytes across fear learning, recall, and three separate periods of extinction. We found that BLA astrocytes robustly responded to foot shock during acquisition, their activity remained remarkably elevated across days in comparison to unshocked control animals, and their increased activity persisted throughout extinction. Further, we found that astrocytes responded to the initiation and termination of freezing bouts during contextual fear conditioning and recall, and this behavior-locked pattern of activity did not persist throughout the extinction sessions. Importantly, astrocytes do not display these changes while exploring a novel context, suggesting that these observations are specific to the original fear-associated environment. Chemogenetic inhibition of fear ensembles in the BLA did not affect freezing behavior or astrocytic calcium dynamics. Overall, our work presents a real-time role for amygdalar astrocytes in fear processing and provides new insight into the emerging role of these cells in cognition and behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We show that basolateral amygdala astrocytes are robustly responsive to negative experiences, like shock, and display changed calcium activity patterns through fear learning and memory. Additionally, astrocytic calcium responses become time locked to the initiation and termination of freezing behavior during fear learning and recall. We find that astrocytes display calcium dynamics unique to a fear-conditioned context, and chemogenetic inhibition of BLA fear ensembles does not have an impact on freezing behavior or calcium dynamics. These findings show that astrocytes play a key real-time role in fear learning and memory.

Transcriptomic and Macroscopic Architectures of Multimodal Covariance Network Reveal Molecular-Structural-Functional Co-alterations

Human cognition is usually underpinned by intrinsic structure and functional neural co-activation in spatially distributed brain regions. Owing to lacking an effective approach to quantifying the covarying of structure and functional responses, how the structural-functional circuits interact and how genes encode the relationships, to deepen our knowledge of human cognition and disease, are still unclear. Here, we propose a multimodal covariance network (MCN) construction approach to capture interregional covarying of the structural skeleton and transient functional activities for a single individual. We further explored the potential association between brain-wide gene expression patterns and structural-functional covarying in individuals involved in a gambling task and individuals with major depression disorder (MDD), adopting multimodal data from a publicly available human brain transcriptomic atlas and 2 independent cohorts. MCN analysis showed a replicable cortical structural-functional fine map in healthy individuals, and the expression of cognition- and disease phenotype-related genes was found to be spatially correlated with the corresponding MCN differences. Further analysis of cell type-specific signature genes suggests that the excitatory and inhibitory neuron transcriptomic changes could account for most of the observed correlation with task-evoked MCN differences. In contrast, changes in MCN of MDD patients were enriched for biological processes related to synapse function and neuroinflammation in astrocytes, microglia, and neurons, suggesting its promising application in developing targeted therapies for MDD patients. Collectively, these findings confirmed the correlations of MCN-related differences with brain-wide gene expression patterns, which captured genetically validated structural-functional differences at the cellular level in specific cognitive processes and psychiatric patients.

Astrocytic modulation of neuronal signalling

Neuronal signalling is a key element in neuronal communication and is essential for the proper functioning of the CNS. Astrocytes, the most prominent glia in the brain play a key role in modulating neuronal signalling at the molecular, synaptic, cellular, and network levels. Over the past few decades, our knowledge about astrocytes and their functioning has evolved from considering them as merely a brain glue that provides structural support to neurons, to key communication elements. Astrocytes can regulate the activity of neurons by controlling the concentrations of ions and neurotransmitters in the extracellular milieu, as well as releasing chemicals and gliotransmitters that modulate neuronal activity. The aim of this review is to summarise the main processes through which astrocytes are modulating brain function. We will systematically distinguish between direct and indirect pathways in which astrocytes affect neuronal signalling at all levels. Lastly, we will summarize pathological conditions that arise once these signalling pathways are impaired focusing on neurodegeneration.

Astrocytes: integrators of arousal state and sensory context

The integration of external information with the internal state of the body is central to the survival of virtually every multicellular organism. However, a complete picture of the mechanisms that govern this process is lacking. In this opinion article, we synthesize evidence demonstrating that astrocytes sense the momentary arousal state - through neuromodulator release - as well as the sensory inputs - through local synaptic activity - and respond to them with changes in calcium (Ca2+) signaling. We hypothesize that astrocytes integrate sensory signals with the internal state and that this process is necessary to secure optimal behavior. Finally, we argue that dysfunctional astrocytic Ca2+ signaling could be an underlying factor in disorders characterized by disrupted sensory processing.

Dissociation Between Neuronal and Astrocytic Calcium Activity in Response to Locomotion in Mice

Locomotion triggers a coordinated response of both neurons and astrocytes in the brain. Here we performed calcium (Ca²⁺) imaging of these two cell types in the somatosensory cortex in head-fixed mice moving on the airlifted platform. Ca²⁺ activity in astrocytes significantly increased during locomotion from a low quiescence level. Ca²⁺ signals first appeared in the distal processes and then propagated to astrocytic somata, where it became significantly larger and exhibited oscillatory behaviour. Thus, astrocytic soma operates as both integrator and amplifier of Ca²⁺ signal. In neurons, Ca²⁺ activity was pronounced in quiescent periods and further increased during locomotion. Neuronal Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) rose almost immediately following the onset of locomotion, whereas astrocytic Ca²⁺ signals lagged by several seconds. Such a long lag suggests that astrocytic [Ca²⁺]_i elevations are unlikely to be triggered by the activity of synapses among local neurons. Ca²⁺ responses to pairs of consecutive episodes of locomotion did not significantly differ in neurons, while were significantly diminished in response to the second locomotion in astrocytes. Such astrocytic refractoriness may arise from distinct mechanisms underlying Ca²⁺ signal generation. In neurons, the bulk of Ca²⁺ enters through the Ca²⁺ channels in the plasma membrane allowing for steady-level Ca²⁺ elevations in repetitive runs. Astrocytic Ca²⁺ responses originate from the intracellular stores, the depletion of which affects subsequent Ca²⁺ signals. Functionally, neuronal Ca²⁺ response reflects sensory input processed by neurons. Astrocytic Ca²⁺ dynamics is likely to provide metabolic and homeostatic support within the brain active milieu.

Shining the Light on Astrocytic Ensembles

While neurons have traditionally been considered the primary players in information processing, the role of astrocytes in this mechanism has largely been overlooked due to experimental constraints. In this review, we propose that astrocytic ensembles are active working groups that contribute significantly to animal conduct and suggest that studying the maps of these ensembles in conjunction with neurons is crucial for a more comprehensive understanding of behavior. We also discuss available methods for studying astrocytes and argue that these ensembles, complementarily with neurons, code and integrate complex behaviors, potentially specializing in concrete functions.

Differential Effects of Astrocyte Manipulations on Learned Motor Behavior and Neuronal Ensembles in the Motor Cortex

Although motor cortex is crucial for learning precise and reliable movements, whether and how astrocytes contribute to its plasticity and function during motor learning is unknown. Here, we report that astrocyte-specific manipulations in primary motor cortex (M1) during a lever push task alter motor learning and execution, as well as the underlying neuronal population coding. Mice that express decreased levels of the astrocyte glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1) show impaired and variable movement trajectories, whereas mice with increased astrocyte Gq signaling show decreased performance rates, delayed response times, and impaired trajectories. In both groups, which include male and female mice, M1 neurons have altered interneuronal correlations and impaired population representations of task parameters, including response time and movement trajectories. RNA sequencing further supports a role for M1 astrocytes in motor learning and shows changes in astrocytic expression of glutamate transporter genes, GABA transporter genes, and extracellular matrix protein genes in mice that have acquired this learned behavior. Thus, astrocytes coordinate M1 neuronal activity during motor learning, and our results suggest that this contributes to learned movement execution and dexterity through mechanisms that include regulation of neurotransmitter transport and calcium signaling.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We demonstrate for the first time that in the M1 of mice, astrocyte function is critical for coordinating neuronal population activity during motor learning. We demonstrate that knockdown of astrocyte glutamate transporter GLT1 affects specific components of learning, such as smooth trajectory formation. Altering astrocyte calcium signaling by activation of Gq-DREADD upregulates GLT1 and affects other components of learning, such as response rates and reaction times as well as trajectory smoothness. In both manipulations, neuronal activity in motor cortex is dysregulated, but in different ways. Thus, astrocytes have a crucial role in motor learning via their influence on motor cortex neurons, and they do so by mechanisms that include regulation of glutamate transport and calcium signals.

Spatial organization of neuron-astrocyte interactions in the somatosensory cortex

Microcircuits in the neocortex are functionally organized along layers and columns, which are the fundamental modules of cortical information processing. While the function of cortical microcircuits has focused on neuronal elements, much less is known about the functional organization of astrocytes and their bidirectional interaction with neurons. Here, we show that Cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R)-mediated astrocyte activation by neuron-released endocannabinoids elevate astrocyte Ca2+ levels, stimulate ATP/adenosine release as gliotransmitters, and transiently depress synaptic transmission in layer 5 pyramidal neurons at relatively distant synapses (˃20 μm) from the stimulated neuron. This astrocyte-mediated heteroneuronal synaptic depression occurred between pyramidal neurons within a cortical column and was absent in neurons belonging to adjacent cortical columns. Moreover, this form of heteroneuronal synaptic depression occurs between neurons located in particular layers, following a specific connectivity pattern that depends on a layer-specific neuron-to-astrocyte signaling. These results unravel the existence of astrocyte-mediated nonsynaptic communication between cortical neurons and that this communication is column- and layer-specific, which adds further complexity to the intercellular signaling processes in the neocortex.

Norepinephrine links astrocytic activity to regulation of cortical state

Cortical state, defined by population-level neuronal activity patterns, determines sensory perception. While arousal-associated neuromodulators-including norepinephrine (NE)-reduce cortical synchrony, how the cortex resynchronizes remains unknown. Furthermore, general mechanisms regulating cortical synchrony in the wake state are poorly understood. Using in vivo imaging and electrophysiology in mouse visual cortex, we describe a critical role for cortical astrocytes in circuit resynchronization. We characterize astrocytes' calcium responses to changes in behavioral arousal and NE, and show that astrocytes signal when arousal-driven neuronal activity is reduced and bi-hemispheric cortical synchrony is increased. Using in vivo pharmacology, we uncover a paradoxical, synchronizing response to Adra1a receptor stimulation. We reconcile these results by demonstrating that astrocyte-specific deletion of Adra1a enhances arousal-driven neuronal activity, while impairing arousal-related cortical synchrony. Our findings demonstrate that astrocytic NE signaling acts as a distinct neuromodulatory pathway, regulating cortical state and linking arousal-associated desynchrony to cortical circuit resynchronization.

Analysis of Network Models with Neuron-Astrocyte Interactions

Neural networks, composed of many neurons and governed by complex interactions between them, are a widely accepted formalism for modeling and exploring global dynamics and emergent properties in brain systems. In the past decades, experimental evidence of computationally relevant neuron-astrocyte interactions, as well as the astrocytic modulation of global neural dynamics, have accumulated. These findings motivated advances in computational glioscience and inspired several models integrating mechanisms of neuron-astrocyte interactions into the standard neural network formalism. These models were developed to study, for example, synchronization, information transfer, synaptic plasticity, and hyperexcitability, as well as classification tasks and hardware implementations. We here focus on network models of at least two neurons interacting bidirectionally with at least two astrocytes that include explicitly modeled astrocytic calcium dynamics. In this study, we analyze the evolution of these models and the biophysical, biochemical, cellular, and network mechanisms used to construct them. Based on our analysis, we propose how to systematically describe and categorize interaction schemes between cells in neuron-astrocyte networks. We additionally study the models in view of the existing experimental data and present future perspectives. Our analysis is an important first step towards understanding astrocytic contribution to brain functions. However, more advances are needed to collect comprehensive data about astrocyte morphology and physiology in vivo and to better integrate them in data-driven computational models. Broadening the discussion about theoretical approaches and expanding the computational tools is necessary to better understand astrocytes' roles in brain functions.

Astrocytes in memory formation and maintenance

Learning and memory are fundamental but highly complex functions of the brain. They rely on multiple mechanisms including the processing of sensory information, memory formation, maintenance of short- and long-term memory, memory retrieval and memory extinction. Recent experiments provide strong evidence that, besides neurons, astrocytes crucially contribute to these higher brain functions. However, the complex interplay of astrocytes and neurons in local neuron-glia assemblies is far from being understood. Although important basic cellular principles that govern and link neuronal and astrocytic cellular functions have been established, additional mechanisms clearly continue to emerge. In this short essay, we first review current technologies allowing the experimenter to explore the role of astrocytes in behaving animals, with focus on spatial memory. We then discuss astrocytic signaling mechanisms and their role in learning and memory. We also reveal gaps in our knowledge that currently prevent a comprehensive understanding of how astrocytes contribute to acquisition, storage and retrieval of memory by modulating neuronal signaling in local circuits.

Adenosine-independent regulation of the sleep-wake cycle by astrocyte activity

Astrocytes play a crucial role in regulating sleep-wake behavior, and adenosine signaling is generally thought to be involved. Here we show multiple lines of evidence supporting that modulation of the sleep-wake behavior by astrocyte Ca²⁺ activity could occur without adenosine signaling. In the basal forebrain and the brainstem, two brain regions that are known to be essential for sleep-wake regulation, chemogenetically-induced astrocyte Ca²⁺ elevation significantly modulated the sleep-wake cycle. Although astrocyte Ca²⁺ level positively correlated with the amount of extracellular adenosine, as revealed by a genetically encoded adenosine sensor, we found no detectable change in adenosine level after suppressing astrocyte Ca²⁺ elevation, and transgenic mice lacking one of the major extracellular ATP-adenosine conversion enzymes showed similar extracellular adenosine level and astrocyte Ca²⁺-induced sleep modulation. Furthermore, astrocyte Ca²⁺ is dependent primarily on local neuronal activity, causing brain region-specific regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. Thus, neural activity-dependent astrocyte activity could regulate the sleep-wake behavior independent of adenosine signaling.

Development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia depends on reactive astrocytes controlled by Wnt5a signaling

Opioids are the frontline analgesics for managing various types of pain. Paradoxically, repeated use of opioid analgesics may cause an exacerbated pain state known as opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH), which significantly contributes to dose escalation and consequently opioid overdose. Neuronal malplasticity in pain circuits has been the predominant proposed mechanism of OIH expression. Although glial cells are known to become reactive in OIH animal models, their biological contribution to OIH remains to be defined and their activation mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that reactive astrocytes (a.k.a. astrogliosis) are critical for OIH development in both male and female mice. Genetic reduction of astrogliosis inhibited the expression of OIH and morphine-induced neural circuit polarization (NCP) in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH). We found that Wnt5a is a neuron-to-astrocyte signal that is required for morphine-induced astrogliosis. Conditional knock-out of Wnt5a in neurons or its co-receptor ROR2 in astrocytes blocked not only morphine-induced astrogliosis but also OIH and NCP. Furthermore, we showed that the Wnt5a-ROR2 signaling-dependent astrogliosis contributes to OIH via inflammasome-regulated IL-1β. Our results reveal an important role of morphine-induced astrogliosis in OIH pathogenesis and elucidate a neuron-to-astrocyte intercellular Wnt signaling pathway that controls the astrogliosis.

Transparent neural interfaces: challenges and solutions of microengineered multimodal implants designed to measure intact neuronal populations using high-resolution electrophysiology and microscopy simultaneously

The aim of this review is to present a comprehensive overview of the feasibility of using transparent neural interfaces in multimodal in vivo experiments on the central nervous system. Multimodal electrophysiological and neuroimaging approaches hold great potential for revealing the anatomical and functional connectivity of neuronal ensembles in the intact brain. Multimodal approaches are less time-consuming and require fewer experimental animals as researchers obtain denser, complex data during the combined experiments. Creating devices that provide high-resolution, artifact-free neural recordings while facilitating the interrogation or stimulation of underlying anatomical features is currently one of the greatest challenges in the field of neuroengineering. There are numerous articles highlighting the trade-offs between the design and development of transparent neural interfaces; however, a comprehensive overview of the efforts in material science and technology has not been reported. Our present work fills this gap in knowledge by introducing the latest micro- and nanoengineered solutions for fabricating substrate and conductive components. Here, the limitations and improvements in electrical, optical, and mechanical properties, the stability and longevity of the integrated features, and biocompatibility during in vivo use are discussed.

Endocannabinoid signaling in synaptic function

In the last decades, astrocytes have emerged as important regulatory cells actively involved in brain function by exchanging signaling with neurons. The endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling is widely present in many brain areas, being crucially involved in multiple brain functions and animal behaviors. The present review presents and discusses current evidence demonstrating that astrocytes sense eCBs released during neuronal activity and subsequently release gliotransmitters that regulate synaptic transmission and plasticity. The eCB signaling to astrocytes and the synaptic regulation mediated by astrocytes activated by eCBs are complex phenomena that exhibit exquisite spatial and temporal properties, a wide variety of downstream signaling mechanisms, and a large diversity of functional synaptic outcomes. Studies investigating this topic have revealed novel regulatory processes of synaptic function, like the lateral regulation of synaptic transmission and the active involvement of astrocytes in the spike-timing dependent plasticity, originally thought to be exclusively mediated by the coincident activity of pre- and postsynaptic neurons, following Hebbian rules for associative learning. Finally, the critical influence of astrocyte-mediated eCB signaling on animal behavior is also discussed.

A neuron-to-astrocyte Wnt5a signal governs astrogliosis during HIV-associated pain pathogenesis

Chronic pain is the most common neurological disorder of HIV patients. Multiple neuropathologies were identified in the pain pathway. Among them is the prominent astrocytic reaction (also know an astrogliosis). However, the pathogenic role and mechanism of the astrogliosis are unclear. Here, we show that the astrogliosis is crucial for the pain development induced by a key neurotoxic HIV protein gp120 and that a neuron-to-astrocyte Wnt5a signal controls the astrogliosis. Ablation of astrogliosis blocked the development of gp120-induced mechanical hyperalgesia, and concomitantly the expression of neural circuit polarization in the spinal dorsal horn. We demonstrated that conditional knockout of either Wnt5a in neurons or its receptor ROR2 in astrocytes abolished not only gp120-induced astrogliosis but also hyperalgesia and neural circuit polarization. Furthermore, we found that the astrogliosis promoted expression of hyperalgesia and NCP via IL-1β regulated by a Wnt5a-ROR2-MMP2 axis. Our results shed light on the role and mechanism of astrogliosis in the pathogenesis of HIV-associated pain.

Macrophages and glial cells: Innate immune drivers of inflammatory arthritic pain perception from peripheral joints to the central nervous system

Millions of people suffer from arthritis worldwide, consistently struggling with daily activities due to debilitating pain evoked by this disease. Perhaps the most intensively investigated type of inflammatory arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis (RA), where, despite considerable advances in research and clinical management, gaps regarding the neuroimmune interactions that guide inflammation and chronic pain in this disease remain to be clarified. The pain and inflammation associated with arthritis are not isolated to the joints, and inflammatory mechanisms induced by different immune and glial cells in other tissues may affect the development of chronic pain that results from the disease. This review aims to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art research on the roles that innate immune, and glial cells play in the onset and maintenance of arthritis-associated pain, reviewing nociceptive pathways from the joint through the dorsal root ganglion, spinal circuits, and different structures in the brain. We will focus on the cellular mechanisms related to neuroinflammation and pain, and treatments targeting these mechanisms from the periphery and the CNS. A comprehensive understanding of the role these cells play in peripheral inflammation and initiation of pain and the central pathways in the spinal cord and brain will facilitate identifying new targets and pathways to aide in developing therapeutic strategies to treat joint pain associated with RA.

From nociception to pain perception, possible implications of astrocytes

Astrocytes are determinants for the functioning of the CNS. They respond to neuronal activity with calcium increases and can in turn modulate synaptic transmission, brain plasticity as well as cognitive processes. Astrocytes display sensory-evoked calcium responses in different brain structures related to the discriminative system of most sensory modalities. In particular, noxious stimulation evoked calcium responses in astrocytes in the spinal cord, the hippocampus, and the somatosensory cortex. However, it is not clear if astrocytes are involved in pain. Pain is a private, personal, and complex experience that warns us about potential tissue damage. It is a perception that is not linearly associated with the amount of tissue damage or nociception; instead, it is constructed with sensory, cognitive, and affective components and depends on our previous experiences. However, it is not fully understood how pain is created from nociception. In this perspective article, we provide an overview of the mechanisms and neuronal networks that underlie the perception of pain. Then we proposed that coherent activity of astrocytes in the spinal cord and pain-related brain areas could be important in binding sensory, affective, and cognitive information on a slower time scale.