Bi-directional communication between neurons and astrocytes modulates spinal motor circuits
Abstract
Evidence suggests that astrocytes are not merely supportive cells in the nervous system but may actively participate in the control of neural circuits underlying cognition and behavior. In this study, we examined the role of astrocytes within the motor circuitry of the mammalian spinal cord. Pharmacogenetic manipulation of astrocytic activity in isolated spinal cord preparations obtained from neonatal mice revealed astrocyte-derived, adenosinergic modulation of the frequency of rhythmic output generated by the locomotor central pattern generator (CPG) network. Live Ca2+ imaging demonstrated increased activity in astrocytes during locomotor-related output and in response to the direct stimulation of spinal neurons. Finally, astrocytes were found to respond to neuronally-derived glutamate in a metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) dependent manner, which in turn drives astrocytic modulation of the locomotor network. Our work identifies bi-directional signaling mechanisms between neurons and astrocytes underlying modulatory feedback control of motor circuits, which may act to constrain network output within optimal ranges for movement.
Citation
Broadhead , M J & Miles , G B 2020 , ' Bi-directional communication between neurons and astrocytes modulates spinal motor circuits ' , Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience , vol. 14 , 30 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2020.00030
Publication
Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1662-5102Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2020 Broadhead and Miles. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Description
Funding was provided by the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Grant (BB/M021793/1), the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association UK and the RS MacDonald Charitable Trust.Collections
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