Project A12 - Frank Kirchhoff
Neurotransmitter receptors and Ca2+ signals in cerebellar Bergmann glia
Neuron-glia communication is an essential component of brain function.
Astrocytes, the largest group of neuroglia, express a large variety of transmitter and peptide receptors that enable them to sense neurotransmission.
Receptor activation is often linked to transient rises of intracellular Ca2+ that can induce release of glial transmitters. This project is designed to analyze the molecular and cellular mechanisms of Ca2+ signals in vivo and understand their impact for the whole organism.
For that purpose we will study genetic mouse models with glia-selective deletion of glutamate- and purinoceptors.