Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Pathophysiological states, neurological and psychiatric diseases are almost universally considered from the neurocentric point of view, with neurons being the principal cellular element of pathological process. The brain homeostasis, which lies at the fulcrum of healthy brain function, the compromise of which invariably results in dysfunction/disease, however, is entirely controlled by neuroglia. It is becoming clear that neuroglial cells are involved in various aspects of initiation, progression and resolution of neuropathology.  In this book we aim to integrate the body of information that has accumulated in recent years revealing the active role of glia in such pathophysiological processes.  Understanding roles of glial cells in pathology will provide new targets for medical intervention and aide the development of much needed therapeutics. This book will be particularly useful for researchers, students, physicians and psychotherapists working in the field of neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry.

General biochemistry --- Physiology of nerves and sense organs --- Pathological biochemistry --- Psychiatry --- Neuropathology --- Human medicine --- medische biochemie --- neurologie --- psychiatrie --- neurochemie --- biochemie --- biomedische wetenschappen --- psychotherapie --- hersenen

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Glial cells are no longer considered passive bystanders in neuronal brain circuits. Not only are they required for housekeeping and brain metabolism, they are active participants in regulating the physiological function and plasticity of brain circuits and the online control of behavior both in invertebrate and vertebrate model systems. In invertebrates, glial cells are essential for normal function of sensory organs (C. elegans) and necessary for the circadian regulation of locomotor activity (D. melanogaster). In the mamallian brain, astrocytes are implicated in the regulation of cortical brain rhythms and sleep homeostasis. Disruption of AMPA receptor function in a subset of glial cell types in mice shows behavioral deficits. Furthermore, genetic disruption of glial cell function can directly control behavioral output. Regulation of ionic gradients by glia can underlie bistability of neurons and can modulate the fidelity of synaptic transmission. Grafting of human glial progenitor cells in mouse forebrain results in human glial chimeric mice with enhanced plasticity and improved behavioral performance, suggesting that astrocytes have evolved to cope with information processing in more complex brains. Taken together, current evidence is strongly suggestive that glial cells are essential contributors to information processing in the brain. This Research Topic compiles recent research that shows how the molecular mechanisms underlying glial cell function can be dissected, reviews their impact on plasticity and behavior across species and presents novel approaches to further probe their function.

Cerebellum --- C. elegans --- Astrocytes --- DREADD --- Cortex --- plasticity --- Gq --- Behavior --- glia --- Hippocampus

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Due to their lack of electrical excitability, astrocytes, a subtype of glial cell, have long been neglected as active participants in intercellular communication within the central nervous system. Astrocytes, however, possess a diverse assortment of ion channels, neurotransmitter receptors, and transport mechanisms that enable them to respond to many of the same signals that act on neurons. Astrocytes in (Patho)Physiology of the Nervous System provides readers with a comprehensive description of the physiological roles astrocytes play in regulating neuronal activity and their critical involvement in pathophysiological states of the nervous system, including gliomas, Alexander's disease, and epilepsy. This book will be particularly useful for researchers, students, and workers in the field of neurobiology and cell biology. About the authors: Vladimir Parpura, M.D., Ph.D holds both a medical degree, awarded from the University of Zagreb in Croatia in 1989, and a doctorate, received in Neuroscience and Zoology from Iowa State University in 1993. He has held faculty appointments at the Department of Zoology and Genetics, Iowa State University and the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of California Riverside. He is presently an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama Birmingham. His current research focuses on understanding the modulation of calcium-dependent glutamate release from astrocytes. Philip G. Haydon, Ph.D received his doctorate from the University of Leeds, England in 1982. He has held faculty appointments at the Department of Zoology and Genetics, Iowa State University, the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, and has recently moved to Tufts University School of Medicine as Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience. His research focuses on the role of astrocytes in the regulation of synapses, neuronal networks and behavior as well as how these glial cells contribute to neurological disorders.

Cytology. --- Neurobiology. --- Neurosciences. --- Astrocytes --- Nervous system --- Biological Science Disciplines --- Neuroglia --- Nervous System --- Natural Science Disciplines --- Anatomy --- Cells --- Disciplines and Occupations --- Physiology --- Central Nervous System --- Medicine --- Human Anatomy & Physiology --- Health & Biological Sciences --- Neuroscience --- Neurology --- Pathophysiology --- Cytopathology --- Astrocytes. --- Cytopathology. --- Pathophysiology. --- Glia (Neurology) --- Medicine. --- Cell biology. --- Biomedicine. --- Cell Biology. --- Organs (Anatomy) --- Neurosciences --- Cell biology --- Cellular biology --- Biology --- Cytologists --- Neural sciences --- Neurological sciences --- Medical sciences

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

General biophysics --- Human biochemistry --- Electrical engineering --- Biotechnology --- medische biochemie --- biofysica --- nanotechniek --- biochemie --- biotechnologie

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

ATP was naturally selected very early on as the main source of biological energy, and thus became an indispensable feature of life on the Earth. This was a critical evolutionary choice because it shaped enzymatic systems to utilize ATP in energy-dependent reactions and necessitated an appearance of the universal intracellular signaling system based on calcium ions; keeping cytosolic Ca2+ extremely low became vitally important, since otherwise insoluble Ca2+-phosphates would preclude the cell energetics. Thus, all living cells on the Earth, beginning from the most primitive ones, had high cytosolic concentrations of ATP and there is little surprise that ATP was soon utilized by nature for another fundamental function of sending information from one living cell to another. In summary, ATP acts as the main energy source and is pivotal for numerous signaling cascades both inside (by fueling various transport systems and donating phosphate groups) and between the cells (by chemical transmission). Similarly, glutamate acts as an important molecule for both intercellular signaling through glutamatergic transmission and cell energetics by contributing to ATP production. In this collection of chapters, written by the leading experts in the fields of cell metabolism and energetics, intracellular signaling and neurotransmission, we covered various aspects of the interfacing between these two fundamental molecules. This book will be particularly useful for researchers, students, physicians and psychotherapists working in the field of neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry.

Physiology of nerves and sense organs --- Pathological biochemistry --- Neuropathology --- Human medicine --- medische biochemie --- neurologie --- biochemie --- biomedische wetenschappen --- psychotherapie --- neurobiologie --- moleculaire biologie --- enzymen