Regulation of heterosynaptic plasticity by glial cells in the CNS

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Transfer of information in the nervous system is mediated primarily by neurons communicating with each other through fast chemical synapses. It is now well established that the release of neurotransmitter at fast chemical synapses is characterized by a high level of plasticity. That is, that the release of neurotransmitter at a given time is influenced by the previous activity of the synapse. In the past decade, a large body of evidence has been obtained indicating that glial cells are active, dynamic and involved in close interactions with neurons. It is now clear that glial cells are sensitive to neuronal activity and synaptic transmission. During the previous funding period, we showed that astrocytes mediate hetero-synaptic plasticity in rat hippocampus, a short-term synaptic plasticity phenomenon. They relay information from inhibitory interneurons, through GABAB receptors, on the glutamatergic presynaptic terminals at the Schaffer collateral synapses. This proposal is a continuity of this work where the major goal is: