Microglia shape the synaptic environment in health and disease, but synapses do not exist
in a vacuum. Instead, pre-and postsynaptic terminals are surrounded by extracellular matrix …

A structural scaffold embedding brain cells and vasculature is known as extracellular matrix
(ECM). The physical appearance of ECM in the central nervous system (CNS) ranges from a …

Brain circuits undergo substantial structural changes during development, driven by the
formation, stabilization, and elimination of synapses. Synaptic connections continue to …

Glia are as numerous in the brain as neurons and widely known to serve supportive roles
such as structural scaffolding, extracellular ionic and neurotransmitter homeostasis, and …

Astrocytes play crucial roles in regulating brain circuit formation and physiology. Recent
technological advances have revealed unprecedented levels of astrocyte diversity …

It is often thought that the construction of cortical circuits occurs as the result of an elegantly
designed process that unfolds sequentially as an animal develops until adult functional …

Windows of plasticity allow environmental experiences to produce intense activity-
dependent changes during postnatal development. The reordering and refinement of neural …

Astrocytes are ubiquitous within the central nervous system (CNS). These cells possess
many individual processes which extend out into the neuropil, where they interact with a …

Bidirectional communication between astrocytes and neurons is essential for proper brain
development. Astrocytes, a major glial cell type, are morphologically complex cells that …

During development, critical periods of synaptic plasticity facilitate the reordering and
refinement of neural connections, allowing the definitive synaptic circuits responsible for …