Abstract
In the brain, astrocytes modulate the transfer of information between neurons at the level of the synapse. Following their activation via receptors during synaptic transmission, these glial cells encode and in turn regulate the efficacy of transmission through calcium-dependent mechanisms. Although astrocytes are the most numerous glial cells in the brain, other glial cell types are also present. Furthermore, astrocytes form an intricate and ramified morphological network with neurons. Hence, the study of the role of astrocytes in synaptic transmission requires the use of techniques allowing their specific loading with various compounds such as calcium indicators and drugs to respectively monitor and modulate their activity. Importantly, these techniques must permit the study of astrocyte activity in their processes, the location where the rapid and privileged interactions with synapses take place. In order to identify the astrocytes and introduce molecules specifically into them, we use the patch clamp recording technique in whole-cell configuration. Here we describe individual steps necessary to carry out patch-clamp recordings in parallel with calcium imaging at the level of astrocyte processes.
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Panatier, A., Robitaille, R. (2013). Intracellular Loading and Rapid Calcium Imaging in Processes of Hippocampal Astrocytes. In: Nguyen, P. (eds) Multidisciplinary Tools for Investigating Synaptic Plasticity. Neuromethods, vol 81. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-517-0_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-517-0_9
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