Sesión del 17-03-2011 · Mª Teresa Miras Portugal | Webtv RANF

The human brain is unique in its ability to process information. Much of the computational capacity of the human brain has been ascribed to its synaptic complexity and neocortical architecture. Yet each of these features are importantly instructed and dynamically regulated by astrocytes. We have recently provided evidence showing that astrocytes during evolution have expanded disproportional in size, number and diversity. The increased complexity of astrocytes in human brain suggests that astrocytes are involved in more sophistication processing than in lower species. In parallel, a wealth of information has documented that astrocytes, the primary supportive cell in brain, actively modulate synaptic transmission and participate in synaptic events in rodent brain. Astrocytes are electrically non-excitable and utilize calcium signaling and release of purines as their principle means for communication with neurons and other non-neuronal cell types. Interestingly, human astrocytes propagate calcium signals 3-fold faster than rodents.This lecture will discus how astrocytes contribute to processing of complex information and modulation of synaptic transmission. Moreover, it will be discussed how the increased complexity of human astrocytes may contribute to neural diseases, including epilepsy and Alzheimer.