Astrocytes are stellate cells whose appearance can resemble a pointed star, especially when visualizing glial fibrillary acidic protein, a canonical marker for astrocytes. Accordingly, there is a commonly made connection between the points of light that shine in the night sky and the diffuse and abundant cells that buffer ions and provide support for neurons. An exceptional amount of function has been attributed to, negated for, and potentially reaffirmed for these cells, especially regarding their ability to release neuroactive molecules and influence synaptic plasticity. This makes the precise role of astrocytes in tuning neural communication seem difficult to grasp. However, data from animal models of addiction demonstrate that a variety of drug-induced molecular adaptations responsible for relapse vulnerability take place in astrocyte systems that regulate glutamate uptake and release. These findings highlight astrocytes as a critical component of the neural systems responsible for addiction, serving as a key component of the plasticity responsible for relapse and drug seeking. Here I assemble recent findings that utilize genetic tools to selectively manipulate or measure flux of internal calcium in astrocytes, focusing on G protein-coupled receptor-mediated mobilization of calcium and the induction of glutamate release. Further, I compile evidence regarding astrocyte glutamate release as well as astrocyte association with synapses with respect to the impact of these cellular phenomena in shaping synaptic transmission. I also place these findings in the context of the previous studies of Scofield et al., who explored the role of astrocytes in the nucleus accumbens in the neural mechanisms underlying cocaine seeking.

中文翻译：

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探索星形胶质细胞谷氨酸释放和与突触关联在神经元功能和行为中的作用

星形胶质细胞是星状细胞，其外观类似于尖星，尤其是在观察胶质纤维酸性蛋白（星形胶质细胞的典型标志物）时。因此，在夜空中闪耀的光点与缓冲离子并为神经元提供支持的扩散和丰富的细胞之间通常存在联系。大量的功能被归因于、否定并可能被重申为这些细胞，特别是关于它们释放神经活性分子和影响突触可塑性的能力。这使得星形胶质细胞在调节神经通讯中的确切作用似乎难以掌握。然而，来自成瘾动物模型的数据表明，在调节谷氨酸摄取和释放的星形胶质细胞系统中发生了多种导致易复发的药物诱导的分子适应。这些发现强调星形胶质细胞是负责成瘾的神经系统的关键组成部分，是负责复发和药物寻求的可塑性的关键组成部分。在这里，我汇总了最近的发现，这些发现利用遗传工具选择性地操纵或测量星形胶质细胞中内部钙的通量，重点关注 G 蛋白偶联受体介导的钙动员和谷氨酸盐释放的诱导。更多，我收集了关于星形胶质细胞谷氨酸盐释放以及星形胶质细胞与突触关联的证据，这些证据涉及这些细胞现象对形成突触传递的影响。我还将这些发现置于 Scofield 等人先前研究的背景下，他们探索了星形胶质细胞在伏隔核中在可卡因寻找的神经机制中的作用。