创新背景

星形胶质细胞是哺乳动物脑内分布最广泛的一类细胞。从胞体发出许多长而分支的突起，伸展充填在神经细胞的胞体及其突起之间，起支持和分隔神经细胞的作用，控制着神经递质。以往科学家们认为星形胶质细胞并不像其他神经元那样具有电活性。对星形胶质细胞进一步认识对于神经科学和医疗具有重要意义。

创新过程

2022年4月28日《自然·神经科学》发表了塔夫茨大学题为《神经元活性驱动外周星形胶质细胞过程的途径特异性去极化》的论文。研究人员发现了星形胶质细胞电活动，这种电活动改变神经元的功能。以前未曾发现过的细胞活动对于神经科学和相关疾病治疗有重要意义。

研究人员使用全新的技术来观察脑细胞活动，利用光来成像电活动，帮助观察到神经元活跃的电活动，发现了以前未曾观察到的脑细胞相互作用的电特性。

星形胶质细胞占大脑所有细胞的一半，它控制着神经递质，帮助确保神经元保持健康和活跃。它的远端突起和神经元突触相互作用，去除谷氨酸和钾神经元活动后的细胞外间隙。清除过程具有电压依赖性，但星形细胞膜电位变化很小。研究使用基因编码的电压指示器测量星形细胞膜电位在小鼠星胶质细胞外周过程，发现星形胶质细胞作用的同时，神经元也会释放钾离子，改变星形胶质细胞的电活动以及它控制神经递质的方式。

星形胶质细胞-神经元相互作用的发现为大脑细胞相互作用研究提供了新的发现。科学家们开始思考研究星形胶质细胞具有电活性会对神经系统带来什么影响，比如星形胶质细胞的电活性对阿兹海默症、电线和偏头痛等脑部疾病的发生和治疗的作用。

光成像电活动的新技术帮助研究星形胶质细胞活动开辟了的新途径，并利用成像帮助研究大脑中的钾活动，为神经科学和神经系统疾病治疗开创了新路径。

创新关键点

利用光成像电活动帮助观察研究星形胶质细胞活动和钾活动。

Light imaging electrical activity helps study astrocytes

On April 28, 2022, Nature Neuroscience published a Tufts University paper titled "Neuronal activity drives pathway-specific depolarization of peripheral astrocyte processes." The researchers discovered astrocyte electrical activity that alters the function of neurons. The previously undiscovered cellular activities have important implications for neuroscience and related disease treatments.
Using entirely new techniques to observe brain cell activity, the researchers used light to image electrical activity, helping to observe the electrical activity of neurons being active, uncovering previously unobserved electrical properties of brain cell interactions.
Astrocytes, which make up half of all cells in the brain, control neurotransmitters that help ensure neurons stay healthy and active. Its distal protrusions interact with neuronal synapses, removing the extracellular space following glutamate and potassium neuronal activity. The clearance process was voltage-dependent, but the astrocyte membrane potential changed little. The study used a genetically encoded voltage indicator to measure the process of astrocyte membrane potential in the periphery of mouse astrocytes, and found that at the same time as astrocytes acted, neurons also released potassium ions, which changed the electrical activity of astrocytes and the way it controls neurotransmitters.
The discovery of astrocyte-neuron interaction provides new insights into the study of brain cell interactions. Scientists are beginning to think about how the electrical activity of astrocytes can affect the nervous system, such as the occurrence and treatment of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, electrical wiring and migraine. effect.
New techniques for imaging electrical activity with light help open new avenues for studying astrocyte activity, and using imaging to help study potassium activity in the brain opens new avenues for neuroscience and neurological disease treatment.