Diverse Actions of Astrocytes in GABAergic Signaling

An imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission leading to over excitation plays a crucial role in generating seizures, while enhancing GABAergic mechanisms are critical in terminating seizures. In recent years, it has been reported in many studies that astrocytes are deeply involved in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2019-06, Vol.20 (12), p.2964
Main Authors: Ishibashi, Masaru, Egawa, Kiyoshi, Fukuda, Atsuo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activation
Astrocyte
Astrocytes
Cell culture
Chloride
Depolarization
Efflux
Epilepsy
GABA
GABAergic synapse
Gap junctions
Homeostasis
Membrane potential
Microscopy
Nervous system
Neural networks
Neurons
Octanol
Receptor mechanisms
Review
Signal transduction
Synapses
Transcription
Tripartite synapse
γ-Aminobutyric acid A receptors
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Description
Summary:An imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission leading to over excitation plays a crucial role in generating seizures, while enhancing GABAergic mechanisms are critical in terminating seizures. In recent years, it has been reported in many studies that astrocytes are deeply involved in synaptic transmission. Astrocytes form a critical component of the "tripartite" synapses by wrapping around the pre- and post-synaptic elements. From this location, astrocytes are known to greatly influence the dynamics of ions and transmitters in the synaptic cleft. Despite recent extensive research on excitatory tripartite synapses, inhibitory tripartite synapses have received less attention, even though they influence inhibitory synaptic transmission by affecting chloride and GABA concentration dynamics. In this review, we will discuss the diverse actions of astrocytic chloride and GABA homeostasis at GABAergic tripartite synapses. We will then consider the pathophysiological impacts of disturbed GABA homeostasis at the tripartite synapse.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms20122964