Université de Fribourg

Activity-dependent structural plasticity of perisynaptic astrocytic domains promotes excitatory synapse stability

Bernardinelli, Yann ; Randall, Jerome ; Janett, Elia ; Nikonenko, Irina ; König, Stéphane ; Jones, Emma Victoria ; Flores, Carmen E. ; Murai, Keith K. ; Bochet, Christian G. ; Holtmaat, Anthony ; Muller, Dominique

In: Current Biology, 2014, vol. 24, no. 15, p. 1679–1688

Excitatory synapses in the CNS are highly dynamic structures that can show activity- dependent remodeling and stabilization in response to learning and memory. Synapses are enveloped with intricate processes of astrocytes known as perisynaptic astrocytic processes (PAPs). PAPs are motile structures displaying rapid actin-dependent movements and are characterized by Ca²⁺ elevations in...