Astrocyte Ca Waves
Glial cells, including the very abundant astrocytes of the central nervous system, were once thought to play only relatively passive roles in metabolic and structural support to neurons. This view began to change rapidly and dramatically with the Smith laboratory's discovery in the late 1980's that astrocytes could respond to the brain's major neurotransmitter glutamate with a calcium-based form of excitability that allowed signals to propagate undiminished over distance through networks of astrocytes.

Oscillatory calcium wave propagating within an isolated astrocyte

This wave was trigered by application of the brain's major excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate.

Cornell-Bell, A.H., Finkbeiner, S.M., Cooper, M.S. and Smith, S.J (1990)  Glutamate induces calcium waves in cultured astrocytes: Long-range glial signalling.  Science 247: 470-473. [PDF]

Ca waves propagating in a network of cultured astrocytes

Multiple modes of oscillation are observed when coupled networks of astrocytes are exposed to glutamate.

Cornell-Bell, A.H., Finkbeiner, S.M., Cooper, M.S. and Smith, S.J (1990)  Glutamate induces calcium waves in cultured astrocytes: Long-range glial signalling.  Science 247: 470-473. [PDF]

Spontaneous astrocytic Ca waves in a brain slice

Dani, J.W., Chernjavsky, A, and Smith, S.J.  (1992) Neuronal activity triggers Ca waves in hippocampal astrocyte networks.  Neuron, 8: 429-440. [PDF]

Spontaneous and stimulus-evoked astrocytic Ca waves in a cultured hippocampal slice

Dani, J.W., Chernjavsky, A, and Smith, S.J.  (1992) Neuronal activity triggers Ca waves in hippocampal astrocyte networks.  Neuron, 8: 429-440. [PDF]

Smithlab Astrocyte Ca Bibliography

Cornell-Bell, A.H., Finkbeiner, S.M., Cooper, M.S. and Smith, S.J (1990)  Glutamate induces calcium waves in cultured astrocytes: Long-range glial signalling.  Science 247: 470-473.

Cornell-Bell, A.H., Thomas, P.G. and Smith, S.J. (1990).  The excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate causes filopodia formation in cultured hippocampal astrocytes.  Glia, 3:322-334.

Goldman, R.S., Finkbeiner, S.M. and Smith, S.J (1991) Endothelin induces a sustained rise in intracellular calcium in hippocampal astrocytes.  Neurosci. Lett., 123: 4-8.

Dani, J.W., Chernjavsky, A, and Smith, S.J.  (1992) Neuronal activity triggers Ca waves in hippocampal astrocyte networks.  Neuron, 8: 429-440.

Smith, S.J., Do astrocytes process neural information?  (1992) Prog. in Brain Res., 94, 119-136.

Reist, N.E. and Smith, S.J.  (1992) Neurally-evoked calcium transients in terminal Schwann cells at the neuromuscular junction.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., U.S.A. 89, 7625-7629.

Dani, J.W. and Smith, S.J (1995)  The triggering of astrocytic calcium waves by NMDA-induced neuronal activation.  Ciba Foundation Symposium, 188: 195-209.

 Review

Cornell-Bell, A.H., Finkbeiner, S.M., Cooper, M.S. and Smith, S.J (1991) Extraneuronal communication, in Neurosciences Year, Suppl. 2 to Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, G. Adelman and B. Smith, eds., Birkhauser, Boston.  pp. 65-68.

 
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