title: Radially expanding transglial calcium waves in the intact cerebellum.
abstract: Multicellular glial calcium waves may locally regulate neural activity or brain energetics. Here, we report a diffusion-driven astrocytic signal in the normal, intact brain that spans many astrocytic processes in a confined volume without fully encompassing any one cell. By using 2-photon microscopy in rodent cerebellar cortex labeled with fluorescent indicator dyes or the calcium-sensor protein G-CaMP2, we discovered spontaneous calcium waves that filled approximately ellipsoidal domains of Bergmann glia processes. Waves spread in 3 dimensions at a speed of 4-11 microm/s to a diameter of approximately 50 microm, slowed during expansion, and were reversibly blocked by P2 receptor antagonists. Consistent with the hypothesis that ATP acts as a diffusible trigger of calcium release waves, local ejection of ATP triggered P2 receptor-mediated waves that were refractory to repeated activation. Transglial waves represent a means for purinergic signals to act with local specificity to modulate activity or energetics in local neural circuits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. hoogland@princeton.edu
authors.forename: Tycho M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Hoogland
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Göbel
authors.forename: Wenying
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakai
authors.forename: Fritjof
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Helmchen
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flint
authors.forename: Samuel S-H
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D058919:Purinergic P2 Receptor Antagonists; D051381:Rats; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D058919:Purinergic P2 Receptor Antagonists; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D002118:Calcium