Astrocyte Calcium
Astrocyte Calcium - Related Videos
02:33
Spontaneous Calcium Imaging for Compartment-Specific Dynamics in Astrocytes
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2025
Source: Bannai, H., et. al., Dissection of Local Ca2+ Signals in Cultured Cells by Membrane-targeted Ca2+ Indicators. J. Vis. Exp. (2019)The video demonstrates fluorescence imaging to observe compartment-specific spontaneous calcium dynamics in astrocytes by sequentially monitoring calcium-sensitive proteins localized on the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum.
12:48
Measuring Near Plasma Membrane and Global Intracellular Calcium Dynamics in Astrocytes
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Cited by 16 •
2009
We describe how to measure near membrane and global intracellular calcium dynamics in cultured astrocytes using total internal reflection and epifluorescence microscopy.
06:41
Astrocyte Isolation: A Method to Obtain Pure Preparation of Mouse Cortical Astrocytes
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2023
In this video, we describe the method to obtain a pure preparation of astrocytes from newly born mice.
03:13
A Method for 3D Bioprinting Murine Cortical Astrocytes
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2025
The video demonstrates the process of creating a 3D bioprinted construct using astrocytes suspended in a bioink solution. The bioprinted construct, after crosslinking, facilitates astrocyte adhesion and their spreading, forming neural-like tissue.
12:47
Inducing Plasticity of Astrocytic Receptors by Manipulation of Neuronal Firing Rates
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Cited by 8 •
2014
Here we describe an adaptation of protocols used to induce homeostatic plasticity in neurons for the study of plasticity of astrocytic G protein-coupled receptors. Recently used to examine changes in astrocytic group I mGluRs in juvenile mice, the method can be applied to measure scaling of various astrocytic GPCRs, in tissue from adult mice in situ and in vivo, and to gain a better appreciation of the sensitivity of astrocytic receptors to changes in neuronal activity.
FAQs
Neurotransmitter-driven astrocyte calcium signaling can begin when a transmitter activates a G protein-coupled receptor, or GPCR, on the astrocyte. The receptor stimulates phospholipase C, which generates inositol trisphosphate, or IP3. IP3 then promotes calcium release from intracellular stores, including the endoplasmic reticulum. This sequence links extracellular neural activity to an intracellular astrocyte response.
Not all astrocyte calcium signals represent a broad rise throughout the cell. Local microdomain events can occur near membrane channels, allowing calcium changes to remain spatially restricted. Their location is therefore an important part of interpretation: a localized signal may report activity at a particular membrane region, whereas store-derived signals reflect release from internal compartments. Imaging must distinguish these patterns when assessing astrocyte responses.
Calcium dynamics matter because they provide a signaling route through which astrocytes can influence several aspects of neural function. Depending on the context, changes can regulate gliotransmitter release, blood flow, ion balance, neurotransmitter homeostasis, and communication within neural circuits. These effects connect a cellular calcium event to tissue-level physiology, making the signal relevant beyond the astrocyte itself.
To study these events, researchers image astrocytes with fluorescent calcium indicators. The indicators provide fluorescence-based readouts of changes in intracellular calcium, allowing investigators to examine when and where signals occur. This approach can capture dynamic responses rather than a single endpoint, so it is useful for comparing astrocyte activity with neuronal or environmental stimulation and for analyzing neuron-glia interactions.
In neuroscience, astrocyte calcium imaging provides a way to study communication between neural and glial cells rather than focusing only on neurons. Investigators can use the observed dynamics to assess how astrocytes respond to neuronal signals and how those responses may relate to circuit communication. This perspective helps place astrocytes within neural circuits as responsive participants in brain function.
The same framework can be applied across brain development, disease, and therapeutic-response studies. Researchers can compare calcium dynamics under different biological conditions and ask whether altered signaling accompanies changes in astrocyte regulation or neuron-glia communication. Because the readout is tied to intracellular calcium, it offers a cellular measure for investigating how signaling is modified across these contexts.