Astrocytes are neural cells of ectodermal, neuroepithelial origin that provide for homeostasis
and defense of the central nervous system (CNS). Astrocytes are highly heterogeneous in …

The role traditionally assigned to astrocytes in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS)
lesions has been the formation of the glial scar once inflammation has subsided. Astrocytes …

Fine control of neuronal activity is crucial to rapidly adjust to subtle changes of the
environment. This fine tuning was thought to be purely neuronal until the discovery that …

Parenchymal microglia are the principal immune cells of the brain. Time-lapse two-photon
imaging of GFP-labeled microglia demonstrates that the fine termini of microglial processes …

Gap junctions are essential to the function of multicellular animals, which require a high
degree of coordination between cells. In vertebrates, gap junctions comprise connexins and …

The circuitry of the human brain is formed by neuronal networks embedded into astroglial
syncytia. The astrocytes perform numerous functions, providing for the overall brain …

Tissue damage, inflammation or injury of the nervous system may result in chronic
neuropathic pain characterised by increased sensitivity to painful stimuli (hyperalgesia), the …

The urothelium is a sensory structure that contributes to mechanosensation in the urinary
bladder. Here, we provide evidence for a critical role for the Piezo1 channel, a newly …

Microglial activation is an early response to brain ischemia and many other stressors.
Microglia continuously monitor and respond to changes in brain homeostasis and to specific …

Several lines of evidence indicate that the elaborated calcium signals and the occurrence of
calcium waves in astrocytes provide these cells with a specific form of excitability. The …