| Abstract No.: | 110 |
| Country: | Canada |
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| Title: | Astrocytes and The Control of Neuronal Activity in Magnocellular Neurosecretory Cells |
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| Authors/Affiliations: | Jaideep S. Bains,
Hotchkiss Brain Institute and University of Calgary, AB, Canada |
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| Content: | In the intact brain, astrocytes appear to be organized functionally into discrete local networks. The consequences of these networks on synaptic function are not known. Here, we specifically examined the impact of activating small astrocyte networks on the strength of glutamatergic synapses onto magnocellular neurosecretory cells in hypothalamic brain slices. Focal stimulation of an astrocyte with caged MNI-glutamate resulted in the recruitment of a small astrocytic network as assessed by 2-photon calcium imaging. This was accompanied by a rapid and persistent strengthening of glutamate synapses on nearby neurons. This plasticity was manifested as a multiplicative scaling of all spontaneously active glutamate synapses and required the activation of both metabotropic glutamate and purinergic receptors. Although spatially constrained, this plasticity was not limited to a single neuron as synapses on neighbouring, synaptically unconnected neurons also exhibited simultaneous scaling following astrocyte stimulation. These data indicate that discrete glial networks are important for regulating information processing in spatially restricted domains. |
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