Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric illnesses
worldwide which impairs the social functioning of the afflicted patients. Astrocytes promote …

Communication between the periphery and the brain is key for maintaining energy
homeostasis. To do so, peripheral signals from the circulation reach the brain via the …

Presynaptic glutamate replenishment is fundamental to brain function. In high activity
regimes, such as epileptic episodes, this process is thought to rely on the glutamate …

Initial biophysical studies on glial cells nearly 50 years ago identified these cells as being
electrically silent. These first studies also demonstrated a large K+ conductance, which led …

Connexins are widely distributed proteins in the body that are crucially important for heart
and brain functions. Six connexin subunits form a connexon or hemichannel in the plasma …

It is broadly recognized that ATP not only supports energy storage within cells but is also a
transmitter/signaling molecule that serves intercellular communication. Whereas the fast (co) …

Astrocytes are now viewed as key elements of brain wiring as well as neuronal
communication. Indeed, they not only bridge the gap between metabolic supplies by blood …

Epilepsies are characterized by recurrent seizures, which disrupt normal brain function.
Alterations in neuronal excitability and excitation-inhibition balance have been shown to …

Gap junctions are specialized cell-to-cell contacts that allow the direct transfer of small
molecules between cells. A single gap junction channel consists of two hemichannels, or …

Purinergic receptors (Rs) of the ATP/ADP, UTP/UDP (P2X, P2Y) and adenosine (A1, A2A)-
sensitive classes broadly interfere with cognitive processes both under quasi normal and …