Extracellular nucleotides, and ATP in particular, are cellular signal substances involved in
the control of numerous (patho) physiological mechanisms. They provoke nucleotide …

Fine control of neuronal activity is crucial to rapidly adjust to subtle changes of the
environment. This fine tuning was thought to be purely neuronal until the discovery that …

Astrocytes are active constituents of the brain that manage ion homeostasis and metabolic
support of neurons and directly tune synaptic transmission and plasticity. Astrocytes express …

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the process whereby neuronal activity controls blood
vessel diameter. In the cerebellum, the molecular layer is regarded as the main NVC …

A number of bioengineering strategies, using biophysical stimulation, are being explored to
guide the human mesenchymal stem cells (hMScs) into different lineages. In this context, we …

While astrocytes throughout the CNS share many common traits, they exhibit significant
differences in function and number among brain regions. The aim of the present study is to …

Nitric oxide (NO) has been long recognized as an atypical neuronal messenger affecting
excitatory synaptic transmission, but its cellular source has remained unresolved as the …

Connexin-based channels comprise hemichannels and gap junction channels. The opening
of hemichannels allow for the flux of ions and molecules from the extracellular space into the …

Engineering cellular microenvironment on a functional platform using various biophysical
cues to modulate stem cell fate has been the central theme in regenerative engineering …

Nitric oxide (NO) is a versatile cellular messenger performing a variety of physiologic and
pathologic actions in most tissues. It is particularly important in the nervous system, where it …