Studies over the past two decades have demonstrated that astrocytes are tightly
associated with neurons and play pivotal roles in neural circuit development, operation,
and adaptation in health and disease. Nevertheless, precisely how astrocytes
integrate diverse neuronal signals, modulate neural circuit structure and function at
multiple temporal and spatial scales, and influence animal behavior or disease through
aberrant excitation and molecular output remains unclear. This Perspective discusses
how new and state-of-the-art approaches, including fluorescence indicators, optoand
chemogenetic actuators, genetic targeting tools, quantitative behavioral assays,
and computational methods, might help resolve these longstanding questions. It also
addresses complicating factors in interpreting astrocytes' role in neural circuit regulation
and animal behavior, such as their heterogeneity, metabolism, and inter-glial
communication. Research on these questions should provide a deeper mechanistic
understanding of astrocyte-neuron assemblies' role in neural circuit function, complex
behaviors, and disease.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:88279 |
| Date | 27 November 2023 |
| Creators | Hirrlinger, Johannes, Nimmerjahn, Axel |
| Publisher | John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 10.1002/glia.24168 |
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