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Neuron—glia interactions

Waking the synapse

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 18, page 386 (2017)Cite this article

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Hippocampal synaptic function can be modulated by the availability of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) co-agonist D-serine, a gliotransmitter that is released by astrocytes. To determine the effects of brain state on D-serine availability, the authors collected hippocampal slices from mice at different times of the day and used electrophysiology to assess the D-serine 'saturation index', which corresponds to the occupancy of the NMDAR co-agonist binding site and thus to D-serine availability. The saturation index was highest at the end of the animals' active (dark) phase and gradually reduced during the rest (light) phase. These daily oscillations in D-serine availability were abolished in mice in which astrocytic gliotransmitter release was impaired.

when α7nAChRs were deleted specifically in astrocytes, activity-related oscillations in D-serine availability were abolished

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References

  1. Papouin, T . et al. Septal cholinergic neuromodulation tunes the astrocyte-dependent gating of hippocampal NMDA receptors to wakefulness. Neuron http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2017.04.021 (2017)

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  1. Katherine Whalley
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Whalley, K. Waking the synapse. Nat Rev Neurosci 18, 386 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2017.69

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