Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
16
pubmed:dateCreated
1999-9-1
pubmed:abstractText
Recent studies show that glutamate transporter-mediated currents occur in astrocytes when glutamate is released from hippocampal synapses. These transporters remove excess glutamate from the extracellular space, thereby facilitating synaptic input specificity and preventing neurotoxicity. Little is known about the position of astrocytic processes at hippocampal synapses. Serial electron microscopy and three-dimensional analyses were used to investigate structural relationships between astrocytes and synapses in stratum radiatum of hippocampal area CA1 in the mature rat in vivo and in slices. Only 57 +/- 11% of the synapses had astrocytic processes apposed to them. Of these, the astrocytic processes surrounded less than half (0.43 +/- 22) of the synaptic interface. Other studies suggest that astrocytes extend processes toward higher concentrations of glutamate; thus the presence of astrocytic processes at particular hippocampal synapses might signal which ones are releasing glutamate. The distance between nearest neighboring synapses was usually (approximately 95%) <1 microgram. Astrocytic processes occurred along the extracellular path between 33% of the neighboring synapses, neuronal processes occurred along the path between another 66% of the neighboring synapses, and only 1% of the synapses were close enough such that neither astrocytic nor neuronal processes occurred between them. These morphological arrangements suggest that the glutamate released at approximately two-thirds of hippocampal synapses might diffuse to other synapses, unless neuronal glutamate transporters are more effective than previously reported. The findings also suggest that physiological recordings made from hippocampal astrocytes do not uniformly sample the glutamate released from all hippocampal synapses.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Aug
pubmed:issn
1529-2401
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:day
15
pubmed:volume
19
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
6897-906
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1999
pubmed:articleTitle
Three-dimensional relationships between hippocampal synapses and astrocytes.
pubmed:affiliation
Harvard College, Harvard Medical School, Division of Neuroscience in the Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, In Vitro, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.