Age-dependent remodelling of ionotropic signalling in cortical astroglia. Aging Cell 2011 Jun;10(3):392-402
Date
01/29/2011Pubmed ID
21272193DOI
10.1111/j.1474-9726.2011.00682.xScopus ID
2-s2.0-79955973304 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 88 CitationsAbstract
Cortical astrocytes express fast ionotropic receptors for glutamate and ATP, although their role in neurone-glia communication remains controversial. Stimulation of neuronal afferents in mice neocortex triggers complex glial synaptic currents (GSCs) mediated by NMDA, P2X and AMPA receptors and glutamate transporters. In addition, astrocytes demonstrate spontaneous 'miniature' GSCs resulting from quantal release of neurotransmitters. Here, we demonstrate that maturation and aging of the brain of mice (from 1 to 21 months) affect the density of ionotropic receptors in astrocytes and their role in GSCs generation. The AMPA-receptor-mediated component is the largest in young animals and progressively declines with age. The P2X and NMDA components of GSC are smallest in young, maximal in adult (3 and 6 months old) and once more decrease in old mice, probably reflecting the remodelling of neuronal-glial circuitry. Our results demonstrate that fast synaptic transmission between neurones and astrocytes in neocortex that may be involved in information processing in neuronal-glial networks undergoes remodelling during brain maturation and aging.
Author List
Lalo U, Palygin O, North RA, Verkhratsky A, Pankratov YMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dioneAging
Amino Acid Transport System X-AG
Animals
Aspartic Acid
Astrocytes
Cell Communication
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
Glutamic Acid
Mice
Mice, Transgenic
Neocortex
Neurons
Neurotransmitter Agents
Purinergic P2X Receptor Antagonists
Receptors, AMPA
Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
Receptors, Purinergic P2X
Synaptic Potentials
Synaptic Transmission
Tissue Culture Techniques
