Astrocytic Chloride is Brain State Dependent and Modulates Inhibitory Neurotransmission in Mice

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 Apr 4

PMID 37015909

Authors

Verena Untiet

Felix R M Beinlich

Peter Kusk

Ning Kang

Antonio Ladron-de-Guevara

Wei Song

Celia Kjaerby

Mie Andersen

Natalie Hauglund

Zuzanna Bojarowska

Bjorn Sigurdsson

Saiyue Deng

Hajime Hirase

Nicolas C Petersen

Alexei Verkhratsky

Maiken Nedergaard

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Information transfer within neuronal circuits depends on the balance and recurrent activity of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Chloride (Cl) is the major central nervous system (CNS) anion mediating inhibitory neurotransmission. Astrocytes are key homoeostatic glial cells populating the CNS, although the role of these cells in regulating excitatory-inhibitory balance remains unexplored. Here we show that astrocytes act as a dynamic Cl reservoir regulating Cl homoeostasis in the CNS. We found that intracellular chloride concentration ([Cl]) in astrocytes is high and stable during sleep. In awake mice astrocytic [Cl] is lower and exhibits large fluctuation in response to both sensory input and motor activity. Optogenetic manipulation of astrocytic [Cl] directly modulates neuronal activity during locomotion or whisker stimulation. Astrocytes thus serve as a dynamic source of extracellular Cl available for GABAergic transmission in awake mice, which represents a mechanism for modulation of the inhibitory tone during sustained neuronal activity.

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