Contacts: Tommaso Fellin (Team leader), Anna Boccaccio (Post-doc).
Neuron-glia interaction
It is now clear that astrocytes are more than the traditional supportive cells providing only structural and metabolic support to neurons.
Recent experiments demonstrate that astrocytes are involved in key functions of the brain such as the control of cerebral blood flow, synapse formation and can release chemical transmitters to modulate neuronal function. This project will investigate the importance of transmitter release from astrocytes in the regulation of neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity and network interactions. Technical approaches that will be used in the development of the project include two-photon fluorescence microscopy together with extracellular and intracellular recordings in situ and in vivo.
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