Astrocytic control of synaptic transmission and plasticity: a target for drugs of abuse?
- PMID: 18647612
- PMCID: PMC2636575
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2008.06.050
Astrocytic control of synaptic transmission and plasticity: a target for drugs of abuse?
Abstract
It is well recognized that drugs of abuse lead to plastic changes in synapses and that these long-term modifications have the potential to underlie adaptive changes of the brain that lead to substance abuse. However the variety of molecular mechanisms involved in these responses are not completely defined. We are just beginning to understand some of the roles of glial cells that are associated with synapses. At many synapses an astrocyte process is associated with pre- and postsynaptic neuron processes leading to the naming of this synaptic structure as the Tripartite Synapse. Therefore, these glial cells are positioned so that they influence synaptic transmission and thus could potentially regulate the actions of some drugs of abuse. In mammalian systems there are correlations between long-term structural changes in astrocytes and responses to drugs of abuse. However, whether such changes in glia impact brain function and subsequent behaviors associated with addiction is poorly understood. Studies using Drosophila show important roles of fly glia in mediating responses to cocaine pointing to the potential for the involvement of mammalian glia in the brain's responses to this as well as other drugs. In agreement with this possibility three receptor systems known to be important in substance abuse, mGluR5, GABA(B) and CB-1 receptors, are all expressed by astrocytes and the activation of these glial receptors is now known to impact neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission. Given our new knowledge about the presence of reciprocal signaling between astrocytes and synapses we are now at a time when it becomes appropriate to determine how glial cells respond to drugs of abuse and whether they contribute to the changes in brain function underlying substance abuse.
Similar articles
-
Astrocytes in cocaine addiction and beyond.Mol Psychiatry. 2022 Jan;27(1):652-668. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01080-7. Epub 2021 Apr 9. Mol Psychiatry. 2022. PMID: 33837268 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Astrocytic mGluR5 and the tripartite synapse.Neuroscience. 2016 May 26;323:29-34. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.03.063. Epub 2015 Apr 3. Neuroscience. 2016. PMID: 25847307 Review.
-
Glia-neuron intercommunications and synaptic plasticity.Prog Neurobiol. 1996 Jun;49(3):185-214. doi: 10.1016/s0301-0082(96)00012-3. Prog Neurobiol. 1996. PMID: 8878303 Review.
-
Astrocyte-derived estrogen enhances synapse formation and synaptic transmission between cultured neonatal rat cortical neurons.Neuroscience. 2007 Feb 23;144(4):1229-40. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.09.056. Epub 2006 Dec 19. Neuroscience. 2007. PMID: 17184929
-
l-α-aminoadipate causes astrocyte pathology with negative impact on mouse hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory.FASEB J. 2021 Aug;35(8):e21726. doi: 10.1096/fj.202100336R. FASEB J. 2021. PMID: 34196433
Cited by
-
Targeting glutamate uptake to treat alcohol use disorders.Front Neurosci. 2015 Apr 23;9:144. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00144. eCollection 2015. Front Neurosci. 2015. PMID: 25954150 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Brain cannabinoid CB₂ receptors modulate cocaine's actions in mice.Nat Neurosci. 2011 Jul 24;14(9):1160-6. doi: 10.1038/nn.2874. Nat Neurosci. 2011. PMID: 21785434 Free PMC article.
-
Astrocytes Decreased the Sensitivity of Glioblastoma Cells to Temozolomide and Bay 11-7082.Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 28;21(19):7154. doi: 10.3390/ijms21197154. Int J Mol Sci. 2020. PMID: 32998285 Free PMC article.
-
The neuro-glial coagulonome: the thrombin receptor and coagulation pathways as major players in neurological diseases.Neural Regen Res. 2019 Dec;14(12):2043-2053. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.262568. Neural Regen Res. 2019. PMID: 31397331 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Thinking outside the cleft to understand synaptic activity: contribution of the cystine-glutamate antiporter (System xc-) to normal and pathological glutamatergic signaling.Pharmacol Rev. 2012 Jul;64(3):780-802. doi: 10.1124/pr.110.003889. Pharmacol Rev. 2012. PMID: 22759795 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Akhondzadeh S, Ahmadi-Abhari SA, Assadi SM, Shabestari OL, Kashani AR, Farzanehgan ZM. Double-blind randomized controlled trial of baclofen vs. clonidine in the treatment of opiates withdrawal. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2000;25:347–353. - PubMed
-
- Andretic R, Chaney S, Hirsh J. Requirement of circadian genes for cocaine sensitization in Drosophila. Science. 1999;285:1066–1068. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Molecular Biology Databases