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Fluid efflux from the brain plays an important role in solute waste clearance. Current experimental approaches provide little spatial information, and data collection is limited due to short duration or low frequency of sampling. One approach shows tracer efflux to be independent of molecular size, indicating bulk flow, yet also decelerating like simple membrane diffusion. In an apparent contradiction to this report, other studies point to tracer efflux acceleration. We here develop a one-dimensional advection-diffusion model to gain insight into brain efflux principles. The model is characterized by nine physiological constants and three efflux parameters for which we quantify prior uncertainty. Using Bayes' rule and the two efflux studies, we validate the model and calculate data-informed parameter distributions. The apparent contradictions in the efflux studies are resolved by brain surface boundaries being bottlenecks for efflux. To critically test the model, a custom MRI efflux assay measuring solute dispersion in tissue and release to cerebrospinal fluid was employed. The model passed the test with tissue bulk flow velocities in the range 60 to 190 μm/h. Dimensional analysis identified three principal determinants of efflux, highlighting brain surfaces as a restricting factor for metabolite solute clearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular potassium concentration ([K+]e) is known to increase as a function of arousal. [K+]e is also a potent modulator of transmitter release. Yet, it is not known whether [K+]e is involved in the neuromodulator release associated with behavioral transitions. We here show that manipulating [K+]e controls the local release of monoaminergic neuromodulators, including norepinephrine (NE), serotonin, and dopamine. Imposing a [K+]e increase is adequate to boost local NE levels, and conversely, lowering [K+]e can attenuate local NE. Electroencephalography analysis and behavioral assays revealed that manipulation of cortical [K+]e was sufficient to alter the sleep-wake cycle and behavior of mice. These observations point to the concept that NE levels in the cortex are not solely determined by subcortical release, but that local [K+]e dynamics have a strong impact on cortical NE. Thus, cortical [K+]e is an underappreciated regulator of behavioral transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous waves of cortical spreading depolarization (CSD) are induced in the setting of acute focal ischemia. CSD is linked to a sharp increase of extracellular K+ that induces a long-lasting suppression of neural activity. Furthermore, CSD induces secondary irreversible damage in the ischemic brain, suggesting that K+ homeostasis might constitute a therapeutic strategy in ischemic stroke. Here we report that adrenergic receptor (AdR) antagonism accelerates normalization of extracellular K+, resulting in faster recovery of neural activity after photothrombotic stroke. Remarkably, systemic adrenergic blockade before or after stroke facilitated functional motor recovery and reduced infarct volume, paralleling the preservation of the water channel aquaporin-4 in astrocytes. Our observations suggest that AdR blockers promote cerebrospinal fluid exchange and rapid extracellular K+ clearance, representing a potent potential intervention for acute stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglia are integral functional elements of the central nervous system, but the contribution of these cells to the structural integrity of the neurovascular unit has not hitherto been assessed. We show here that following blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, P2RY12 (purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 12)-mediated chemotaxis of microglia processes is required for the rapid closure of the BBB. Mice treated with the P2RY12 inhibitor clopidogrel, as well as those in which P2RY12 was genetically ablated, exhibited significantly diminished movement of juxtavascularmicroglial processes and failed to close laser-induced openings of the BBB. Thus, microglial cells play a previously unrecognized protective role in the maintenance of BBB integrity following cerebrovascular damage. Because clopidogrel antagonizes the platelet P2Y12 receptor, it is widely prescribed for patients with coronary artery and cerebrovascular disease. As such, these observations suggest the need for caution in the postincident continuation of P2RY12-targeted platelet inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium signaling represents the principle pathway by which astrocytes respond to neuronal activity. General anesthetics are routinely used in clinical practice to induce a sleep-like state, allowing otherwise painful procedures to be performed. Anesthetic drugs are thought to mainly target neurons in the brain and act by suppressing synaptic activity. However, the direct effect of general anesthesia on astrocyte signaling in awake animals has not previously been addressed. This is a critical issue, because calcium signaling may represent an essential mechanism through which astrocytes can modulate synaptic activity. In our study, we performed calcium imaging in awake head-restrained mice and found that three commonly used anesthetic combinations (ketamine/ xylazine, isoflurane. and urethane) markedly suppressed calcium transients in neocortical astrocytes. Additionally, all three anesthetics masked potentially important features of the astrocyte calcium signals, such as synchronized widespread transients that appeared to be associated with arousal in awake animals. Notably, anesthesia affected calcium transients in both processes and soma and depressed spontaneous signals, as well as calcium responses, evoked by whisker stimulation or agonist application. We show that these calcium transients are inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate type 2 receptor (1P3R2)-dependent but resistant to a local blockade of glutamatergic or purinergic signaling. Finally, we found that doses of anesthesia insufficient to affect neuronal responses to whisker stimulation selectively suppressed astrocyte calcium signals. Taken together, these data suggest that general anesthesia may suppress astrocyte calcium signals independently of neuronal activity. We propose that these glial effects may constitute a nonneuronal mechanism for sedative action of anesthetic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adenosine is a potent anticonvulsant acting on excitatory synapses through A1 receptors. Cellular release of ATP, and its subsequent extracellular enzymatic degradation to adenosine, could provide a powerful mechanism for astrocytes to control the activity of neural networks during high-intensity activity. Despite adenosine's importance, the cellular source of adenosine remains unclear. We report here that multiple enzymes degrade extracellular ATP in brain tissue, whereas only Nt5e degrades AMP to adenosine. However, endogenous A1 receptor activation during cortical seizures in vivo or heterosynaptic depression in situ is independent of Nt5e activity, and activation of astrocytic ATP release via Ca2+ photolysis does not trigger synaptic depression. In contrast, selective activation of postsynaptic CA1 neurons leads to release of adenosine and synaptic depression. This study shows that adenosine-mediated synaptic depression is not a consequence of astrocytic ATP release, but is instead an autonomic feedback mechanism that suppresses excitatory transmission during prolonged activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a primary influx route for water during brain edema formation. Here, we provide evidence that brain swelling triggers Ca2+ signaling in astrocytes and that deletion of the Aqp4 gene markedly interferes with these events. Using in vivo twophoton imaging, we show that hypoosmotic stress (20% reduction in osmolarity) initiates astrocytic Ca2+ spikes and that deletion of Aqp4 reduces these signals. The Ca2+ signals are partly dependent on activation of P2 purinergic receptors, which was judged from the effects of appropriate antagonists applied to cortical slices. Supporting the involvement of purinergic signaling, osmotic stress was found to induce ATP release from cultured astrocytes in an AQP4-dependent manner. Our results suggest that AQP4 not only serves as an influx route for water but also is critical for initiating downstream signaling events that may affect and potentially exacerbate the pathological outcome in clinical conditions associated with brain edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic spinal cord injury is characterized by an immediate. irreversible loss of tissue at the lesion site, as well as a secondary expansion of tissue damage overtime. Although secondary injury should, in principle, be preventable, no effective treatment options currently exist for patients with acute spinal cord injury (Sd). Excessive release of ATP by the traumatized tissue, followed by activation of high-affinity P2X7 receptors, has previously been implicated in secondary injury, but no clinically relevant strategy by which to antagonize P2X7 receptors has yet, to the best of our knowledge, been reported. Here we have tested the neuroprotective effects of a systemically administered P2X7R antagonist, Brilliant blue G (BBG), in a weight-drop model of thoracic Sd in rats. Administration of BBG 15 mm after injury reduced spinal cord anatomic damage and improved motor recovery without evident toxicity. Moreover, BBG treatment directly reduced local activation of astrocytes and microglia, as well as neutrophil infiltration. These observations suggest that BBG not only protected spinal cord neurons from purinergic excitotoxicity, but also reduced local inflammatory responses. Importantly, BBG is a derivative of a commonly used blue food color (FD&C blue No. 1), which crosses the blood-brain barrier. Systemic administration of BBG may thus comprise a readily feasible approach by which to treat traumatic SCI in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical imaging of individual vesicle exocytosis is providing new insights into the mechanism and regulation of secretion by cells. To study calcium-triggered secretion from astrocytes, we used acridine orange (AO) to label vesicles. Although AO is often used for imaging exocytosis. we found that imaging vesicles labeled with AO can result in their photolysis. Here, we define experimental and analytical approaches that permit us to distinguish unambiguously between fusion, leakage, and lysis of individual vesicles. We have used this approach to demonstrate that lysosomes undergo calcium-triggered exocytosis in astrocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several lines of work have shown that astrocytes release glutamate in response to receptor activation, which results in a modulation of local synaptic activity. Astrocytic glutamate release is Ca2+-dependent and occurs in conjunction with exocytosis of glutamate containing vesicles. However, astrocytes contain a millimolar concentration of cytosolic glutamate and express channels permeable to small anions, such as glutamate. Here, we tested the idea that astrocytes respond to receptor stimulation by dynamic changes in cell volume, resulting in volume-sensitive channel activation, and efflux of cytosolic glutamate. Confocal imaging and whole-cell recordings demonstrated that astrocytes exhibited a transient Ca2+-dependent cell volume increase, which activated glutamate permeable channels. HPLC analysis revealed that glutamate was released in conjunction with other amino acid osmolytes. Our observations indicate that volume-sensitive channel may constitute a previously uncharacterized target for modulation of astrocyte-neuronal interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exogenous kainate receptor agonists have been shown to modulate inhibitory synaptic transmission in the hippocampus, but the pathways involved in physiological activation of the receptors remain largely unknown. Accumulating evidence indicates that astrocytes can release glutamate in a Ca2+dependent manner and signal to neighboring neurons. They tested the hypothesis that astrocyte-derived glutamate activates kainate receptors on hippocampal interneurons. They reported that elevation of intracellular Ca2+ in astrocytes, induced by uncaging Ca2+ o-nitrophenyl-EGTA, increased action potential-driven spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in nearby interneurons in rat hippocampal slices.

Examines the characteristics of adenosine triphosphate efflux in a field of cells. Use of real-time bioluminescence imaging; Manifestation on the transient opening of nonselective membrane channels; Patterns of ATP release.