title: Cortical maps: a role for astrocytes?
abstract: Astrocytes are a multifunctional cell type in the nervous system that can influence neurons and synapses in numerous ways. Astrocytes have been suggested to play important roles in synapse formation during development, as well as in multiple forms of synaptic plasticity in the developing and adult brain. Astrocytes respond to nearby neural activity with elevations in cytosolic calcium concentration, and in sensory cortex these calcium responses have been shown to be topographically aligned to neuronal sensory maps. Here, we review recent evidence for astrocyte interactions with neural circuits, with particular emphasis on how these interactions may shape the development, arrangement and plasticity of cortical sensory maps.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, United States.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Hidalgo
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, United States. Electronic address: James.Schummers@mpfi.org.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schummers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*