Nature Neuroscience6, 43 - 50 (2002)
Published online: 25 November 2002; Corrected online: 09 December 2002 | doi:10.1038/nn980
Neuron-to-astrocyte signaling is central to the dynamic control of brain microcirculation
Micaela Zonta1, 4, María Cecilia Angulo1, 2, 4, Sara Gobbo1, Bernhard Rosengarten3, Konstantin-A. Hossmann3, Tullio Pozzan1
& Giorgio Carmignoto1
1
Istituto CNR di Neuroscienze and Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Sperimentali, Università di Padova, viale G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy
2
Centro Internacional de Física, Ed. Manuel Ancízar, Ciudad Universitaria, Bogotá, Colombia
3
Department of Experimental Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Cologne, Germany
4
The first two authors contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence should be addressed to Giorgio Carmignoto gcarmi@bio.unipd.it
The cellular mechanisms underlying functional hyperemia—the coupling of neuronal activation to cerebral blood vessel responses—are not yet known. Here we show in rat cortical slices that the dilation of arterioles triggered by neuronal activity is dependent on glutamate-mediated [Ca2+]i oscillations in astrocytes. Inhibition of these Ca2+ responses resulted in the impairment of activity-dependent vasodilation, whereas selective activation—by patch pipette—of single astrocytes that were in contact with arterioles triggered vessel relaxation. We also found that a cyclooxygenase product is centrally involved in this astrocyte-mediated control of arterioles. In vivo blockade of glutamate-mediated [Ca2+]i elevations in astrocytes reduced the blood flow increase in the somatosensory cortex during contralateral forepaw stimulation. Taken together, our findings show that neuron-to-astrocyte signaling is a key mechanism in functional hyperemia.
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated
