title: D-serine signalling as a prominent determinant of neuronal-glial dialogue in the healthy and diseased brain.
abstract: Rather different from their initial image as passive supportive cells of the CNS, the astrocytes are now considered as active partners at synapses, able to release a set of gliotransmitter-like substances to modulate synaptic communication within neuronal networks. Whereas glutamate and ATP were first regarded as main determinants of gliotransmission, growing evidence indicates now that the amino acid D-serine is another important player in the neuronal-glial dialogue. Through the regulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission through both N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA-R) and non-NMDA-R, D-serine is helping in modelling the appropriate connections in the developing brain and influencing the functional plasticity within neuronal networks throughout lifespan. The understanding of D-serine signalling, which has increased linearly in the last few years, gives new insights into the critical role of impaired neuronal-glial communication in the diseased brain, and offers new opportunities for developing relevant strategies to treat cognitive deficits associated to brain disorders.
authors: Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, INSERM UMR 894, Paris F-75014, France. billard@broca.inserm.fr
authors: J-M
authors: JM
authors: Billard
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012694:Serine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D012694:Serine