Alex Chen
@alexbchen.bsky.social
PhD student @ Harvard with Florian Engert and HHMI Janelia with Misha Ahrens. Searching for the molecular, cellular, and circuit underpinnings of behavior.
Finally, thank you to
@caglaeroglu.bsky.social for the wonderful perspective piece highlighting all three papers! science.org/doi/10.1126/... /end
@caglaeroglu.bsky.social for the wonderful perspective piece highlighting all three papers! science.org/doi/10.1126/... /end
Astrocytes, hidden puppet masters of the brain
Astrocyte signaling pathways influence neuronal networks and behavioral responses to neuromodulators
science.org
May 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Finally, thank you to
@caglaeroglu.bsky.social for the wonderful perspective piece highlighting all three papers! science.org/doi/10.1126/... /end
@caglaeroglu.bsky.social for the wonderful perspective piece highlighting all three papers! science.org/doi/10.1126/... /end
It appears possible that an ancient role for the NAP motif may have been to implement inhibition to counteract prolonged, perhaps runaway excitation. Nevertheless, continuing to identify circuits and behavioral contexts recruiting this pathway is an exciting future direction. 7/8
May 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
It appears possible that an ancient role for the NAP motif may have been to implement inhibition to counteract prolonged, perhaps runaway excitation. Nevertheless, continuing to identify circuits and behavioral contexts recruiting this pathway is an exciting future direction. 7/8
In our study, the NAP motif seems to mediate feedforward inhibition: it is activated by contexts requiring strong activation of circuits during futility-induced struggle to prevent prolonged futile struggling. 6/8
May 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
In our study, the NAP motif seems to mediate feedforward inhibition: it is activated by contexts requiring strong activation of circuits during futility-induced struggle to prevent prolonged futile struggling. 6/8
That similar pathways exist in flies, fish, and mammals suggests the existence of an evolutionarily conserved, canonical norepinephrine-astrocyte-purinergic signaling motif (NAP motif?) 5/8
May 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
That similar pathways exist in flies, fish, and mammals suggests the existence of an evolutionarily conserved, canonical norepinephrine-astrocyte-purinergic signaling motif (NAP motif?) 5/8
The second by @kevinguttenplan.bsky.social
in Marc Freeman's lab on gating of astrocyte responses to many transmitters by tyramine (an invertebrate norepinephrine analog) in flies, building on earlier work from the lab on astrocytes and ATP in larval fly behavior. science.org/doi/10.1126/... 4/8
in Marc Freeman's lab on gating of astrocyte responses to many transmitters by tyramine (an invertebrate norepinephrine analog) in flies, building on earlier work from the lab on astrocytes and ATP in larval fly behavior. science.org/doi/10.1126/... 4/8
GPCR signaling gates astrocyte responsiveness to neurotransmitters and control of neuronal activity
How astrocytes regulate neuronal circuits is a fundamental question in neurobiology. Specifically, how astrocytes respond to different neurotransmitters in vivo and how they affect downstream circuit ...
science.org
May 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
The second by @kevinguttenplan.bsky.social
in Marc Freeman's lab on gating of astrocyte responses to many transmitters by tyramine (an invertebrate norepinephrine analog) in flies, building on earlier work from the lab on astrocytes and ATP in larval fly behavior. science.org/doi/10.1126/... 4/8
in Marc Freeman's lab on gating of astrocyte responses to many transmitters by tyramine (an invertebrate norepinephrine analog) in flies, building on earlier work from the lab on astrocytes and ATP in larval fly behavior. science.org/doi/10.1126/... 4/8
Our paper is published back-to-back with two other fantastic papers, one by Katie Lefton in Thomas Papouin's lab at WUSTL on astroglial mediation of NE's effects on synapses in mice. science.org/doi/10.1126/... 3/8
Norepinephrine signals through astrocytes to modulate synapses
Locus ceruleus (LC)–derived norepinephrine (NE) drives network and behavioral adaptations to environmental saliencies by reconfiguring circuit functional connectivity, but the underlying synapse-level...
science.org
May 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Our paper is published back-to-back with two other fantastic papers, one by Katie Lefton in Thomas Papouin's lab at WUSTL on astroglial mediation of NE's effects on synapses in mice. science.org/doi/10.1126/... 3/8
We find that astroglia respond to norepinephrine and release ATP during behavioral futility, and the ATP metabolite adenosine activates neurons to cause passivity. 2/8
May 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
We find that astroglia respond to norepinephrine and release ATP during behavioral futility, and the ATP metabolite adenosine activates neurons to cause passivity. 2/8