Glial cells modulate the synaptic transmission of NTS

Glial cells modulate the synaptic transmission of NTS neurons sending projections to ventral medulla of Wistar rats. Daniela Accorsi-Mendonca, Daniel B. Zoccal, Leni G. H. Bonagamba & Benedito H. Machado. Physiol Rep, 1 (4), 2013, e00080, doi: 10.1002/phy2.80 This is a really cool paper by a group in Brazil that used whole cell patch clamp (i.e. recordings from individual neurons) in a brain slice preparation from teh NTS. They also recorded from atrocytes and used inhibitors of glial metabolism to show that they contribute to excitatory neurotransmission. They also showed that ATP was involved in excitatory neurotransmission by the use of a purinergic antagonist which reduced excitatory transmission. In combination they showed that glial cells were the source of the ATP released after activation of the afferents that drive excitatory transmission in the NTS. In the end, they showed that ATP released from glia activated presynaptic P2X receptors which facilitated glutamate release and enhanced excitation. This study is relevant to our because they specifically looked at ventrolateral medullary projecting neurons (i.e. RVLM likely). Pretty cool. ~PJM