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.