title: In vivoastrocytic Ca2+signaling in health and brain disorders.
abstract: Astrocytes are the predominant glial cell type in the CNS. Although astrocytes are electrically nonexcitable, their excitability is manifested by their Ca2+signaling, which serves as a mediator of neuron-glia bidirectional interactions via tripartite synapses. Studies fromin vivotwo-photon imaging indicate that in healthy animals, the properties of spontaneous astrocytic Ca2+signaling are affected by animal species, age, wakefulness and the location of astrocytes in the brain. Intercellular Ca2+waves in astrocytes can be evoked by a variety of stimulations. In animal models of some brain disorders, astrocytes can exhibit enhanced Ca2+excitability featured as regenerative intercellular Ca2+waves. This review first briefly summarizes the astrocytic Ca2+signaling pathway and the procedure ofin vivotwo-photon Ca2+imaging of astrocytes. It subsequently summarizesin vivoastrocytic Ca2+signaling in health and brain disorders from experimental studies of animal models, and discusses the possible mechanisms and therapeutic implications underlying the enhanced Ca2+excitability in astrocytes in brain disorders. Finally, this review summarizes molecular genetic approaches used to selectively manipulate astrocyte functionin vivoand their applications to study the role of astrocytes in synaptic plasticity and brain disorders.
authors.affiliation: Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Biological Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA dings@missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Shinghua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ding
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; G-protein coupled receptors; IP3 receptor; in vivo imaging; intercellular Ca2+ waves; molecular genetics; photothrombosis; spontaneous Ca2+ signaling; status epilepticus; traumatic brain injury; two-photon microscopy