Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
Biol Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 1;84(11):778-786. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.10.029. Epub 2017 Nov 11.
Astrocytes are stellate cells whose appearance can resemble a pointed star, especially when visualizing glial fibrillary acidic protein, a canonical marker for astrocytes. Accordingly, there is a commonly made connection between the points of light that shine in the night sky and the diffuse and abundant cells that buffer ions and provide support for neurons. An exceptional amount of function has been attributed to, negated for, and potentially reaffirmed for these cells, especially regarding their ability to release neuroactive molecules and influence synaptic plasticity. This makes the precise role of astrocytes in tuning neural communication seem difficult to grasp. However, data from animal models of addiction demonstrate that a variety of drug-induced molecular adaptations responsible for relapse vulnerability take place in astrocyte systems that regulate glutamate uptake and release. These findings highlight astrocytes as a critical component of the neural systems responsible for addiction, serving as a key component of the plasticity responsible for relapse and drug seeking. Here I assemble recent findings that utilize genetic tools to selectively manipulate or measure flux of internal calcium in astrocytes, focusing on G protein-coupled receptor-mediated mobilization of calcium and the induction of glutamate release. Further, I compile evidence regarding astrocyte glutamate release as well as astrocyte association with synapses with respect to the impact of these cellular phenomena in shaping synaptic transmission. I also place these findings in the context of the previous studies of Scofield et al., who explored the role of astrocytes in the nucleus accumbens in the neural mechanisms underlying cocaine seeking.
星形胶质细胞呈星状，尤其是在观察神经胶质纤维酸性蛋白（一种星形胶质细胞的典型标志物）时，其形态更像星星。因此，人们普遍将夜空中闪烁的亮点与弥漫且丰富的缓冲离子并为神经元提供支持的细胞联系起来。这些细胞的功能被赋予、否定和重新确认，特别是它们释放神经活性分子和影响突触可塑性的能力。这使得星形胶质细胞在调节神经通讯中的精确作用似乎难以理解。然而，成瘾动物模型的数据表明，各种与复发易感性相关的药物诱导的分子适应发生在调节谷氨酸摄取和释放的星形胶质细胞系统中。这些发现强调了星形胶质细胞作为成瘾相关神经系统的关键组成部分，是负责复发和觅药的可塑性的关键组成部分。在这里，我收集了最近利用遗传工具选择性操纵或测量星形胶质细胞内钙流的发现，重点关注 G 蛋白偶联受体介导的钙动员和谷氨酸释放的诱导。此外，我还收集了关于星形胶质细胞谷氨酸释放以及星形胶质细胞与突触相关的证据，这些证据涉及这些细胞现象在塑造突触传递中的作用。我还将这些发现置于 Scofield 等人之前的研究背景中，他们探讨了星形胶质细胞在伏隔核中的作用在可卡因觅药的神经机制中。
