Astrocytes: multitalented stars of the central nervous system

Abstract

Astrocytes contribute to virtually every aspect of brain function, including ionic homeostasis, energy metabolism, and synaptic signaling. The varied and important roles of astrocytes have evolved to allow increasingly complex nervous systems to operate efficiently and with high fidelity. For example, astrocytes figure prominently in glutamatergic synaptic transmission, an elemental event of brain function: high-affinity glutamate uptake into astrocytes improves the temporal and spatial fidelity of glutamatergic signaling and astrocytes subsequently shuttle glutamine back to neurons for the synthesis of more glutamate. The important and dynamic contributions of astrocytes to normal brain function demand that the interactions between neurons and astrocytes be viewed as a "partnership," a harmonious collaboration to produce a desired function. The historical view of astrocytes as simple "support cells" is no longer valid and should be discarded. It is more accurate to view astrocytes as "partner cells." Future investigations of the intimate neuron-astrocyte partnership will require stringent and novel methodologies. This timely book on methodological approaches for studying astrocytes will provide modern neuroscientists with indispensable technical advice to help unravel the mysteries of the beautiful and successful marriage between astrocytes and neurons.