A type of brain cell that behaves like a hybrid of neurons and glia has been spotted, and it could explain how some neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson’s, develop
molecules are produced by the genes in mouse cells to determine if they could find the protein complexes
required for synaptic transmission in other cells. The team specifically looked at cells in the brain’s hippocampus region, because this is where the previous research claimed to have spotted non-neuronal synaptic transmission. The analysis revealed several clusters of astrocytes, a type of glia, that appeared to also possess the ability to take part in synaptic transmission. The cells seemed to release the neurotransmitter glutamate, which is the most common neurotransmitter in the brain. The researchers then confirmed the presence of these genes by studying brain slices from adult mice. The researchers have coined these cells glutamatergic astrocytes.
“These cells are a little bit like astrocytes and a little bit like neurons,” says Volterra. “They are secreting neurotransmitters with a mechanism and speed that are usually only linked to neurons. It’s why we call it a kind of hybrid cell.” The researchers then used a type of fluorescent microscopy imaging technique called two-photon imaging to study glutamate release by these cells in the brains of the mice. “The signals that we see are in the order of speed similar to neurons,” says Volterra.
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