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Astrocyte endfeet march to the beat of different vessels

Nature Neuroscience volume 19, pages 1539–1541 (2016)Cite this article

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During synaptic activation, the function of astrocyte endfeet depends on the vascular target: at the capillary, but not at the arteriole, a newly described P2X1R–phospholipase D2 pathway modulates prostaglandin E2 release and vessel dilation.

Active neurons signal to blood vessels via a process termed 'neurovascular coupling'. The signaling pathways by which this occurs are known to involve the cooperation of an ensemble of cell types (neurons, astrocytes, smooth muscle cells, pericytes and endothelial cells) called the neurovascular unit. However, the precise mechanisms by which these cell types interact and contribute to the coupling are highly debated. In particular, the astrocyte, a cell ideally positioned to listen to neurons and talk to vessels, has seen its involvement in blood flow regulation first highlighted and then contested. Mishra et al.1 now suggest that a newly described Ca2+ influx pathway in astrocytes regulates neurovascular coupling at the capillary level.

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Figure 1: The functions of astrocyte endfeet differ with respect to the vascular target.

Marina Corral Spence/Nature Publishing Group

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  1. Ravi L. Rungta and Serge Charpak are at INSERM U1128, Laboratory of Neurophysiology and New Microscopy, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.

    Ravi L Rungta & Serge Charpak

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  1. Ravi L Rungta
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  2. Serge Charpak
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Correspondence to Serge Charpak.

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Rungta, R., Charpak, S. Astrocyte endfeet march to the beat of different vessels. Nat Neurosci 19, 1539–1541 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4446

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