ArticleNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology2019
Ventral midbrain astrocytes display unique physiological features and sensitivity to dopamine D2 receptor signaling.
Article in Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers.
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Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mitochondrial Quality Control Imbalance in the Heterogeneity of Parkinson's Disease: From Selective Vulnerability to Stratified Transformation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Paeonia suffruticosa root bark extract alleviates gut-brain axis dysfunction in DSS-induced colitis via suppression of intestinal necroptosis and glial activation.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Article
- Role of dysregulated calcium homeostasis in astrocytes in neurodegenerative disorders.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2026Review
- Neuroprotective effect of astrocytic dopamine Drd2 receptor on mitochondrial complex I in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease through β-arrestin2-NDUFA10 regulation.Cell death and differentiation · 2026Article
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- Cellular and molecular mechanisms of astrocyte plasticity in learning and memory.Trends in neurosciences · 2026Review
- Midbrain PAG Astrocytes Modulate Mouse Defensive and Panic-Like Behaviors.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Complex dynamics of glutamate-induced calcium responses in astrocytes from the nucleus of the solitary tract of mice.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas · 2026Article
- From Stress to Substance Use Disorders: The Expanding Role of Microglia-Astrocyte Crosstalk in Neuroimmune and Glutamate Alterations in the Nucleus Accumbens.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Changes in neural progenitor lineage composition during astrocytic differentiation of human iPSCs.eLife · 2025Article
- Article
- Translating stress systems: corticotropin releasing factor, its receptors, and the dopamine system in nonhuman primate models.Genomic psychiatry : advancing science from genes to society · 2025Article
- The Duality of Astrocyte Neuromodulation: Astrocytes Sense Neuromodulators and Are Neuromodulators.Journal of neurochemistry · 2025Review
- Review
- Astrocytic transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of drug addiction.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2024Review
- Voltage-gated potassium channels control extended access cocaine seeking: a role for nucleus accumbens astrocytes.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Article
- Neurovascular effects of cocaine: relevance to addiction.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Review
- The Essential Role of Astrocytes in Neurodegeneration and Neuroprotection.CNS & neurological disorders drug targets · 2024Review
- The Role of Astrocytes in Parkinson's Disease : Astrocytes in Parkinson's Disease.Advances in neurobiology · 2024Review
- Differences in vocal brain areas and astrocytes between the house wren and the rufous-tailed hummingbird.Frontiers in neuroanatomy · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Astrocytes are ubiquitous CNS cells that support tissue homeostasis through ion buffering, neurotransmitter recycling, and regulation of CNS vasculature. Yet, despite the essential functional roles they fill, very little is known about the physiology of astrocytes in the ventral midbrain, a region that houses dopamine-releasing neurons and is critical for reward learning and motivated behaviors. Here, using a combination of whole-transcriptome sequencing, histology, slice electrophysiology, and calcium imaging, we performed the first functional and molecular profiling of ventral midbrain astrocytes and observed numerous differences between these cells and their telencephalic counterparts, both in their gene expression profile and in their physiological properties. Ventral midbrain astrocytes have very low membrane resistance and inward-rectifying potassium channel-mediated current, and are extensively coupled to surrounding oligodendrocytes through gap junctions. They exhibit calcium responses to glutamate but are relatively insensitive to norepinephrine. In addition, their calcium activity can be dynamically modulated by dopamine D2 receptor signaling. Taken together, these data indicate that ventral midbrain astrocytes are physiologically distinct from astrocytes in cortex and hippocampus. This work provides new insights into the extent of functional astrocyte heterogeneity within the adult brain and establishes the foundation for examining the impact of regional astrocyte differences on dopamine neuron function and susceptibility to degeneration.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.