Basal synaptic transmission: astrocytes rule!

Abstract

In this issue, Panatier et al. (2011) show that astrocytes detect synaptic activity induced by single action potentials and upregulate basal synaptic transmission through calcium-dependent mechanisms and purinergic signaling. These results demonstrate the relevance of astrocyte calcium in neurophysiology and confirm that astrocytes are actively involved in synaptic function.