Hippocampal astrocytes represent navigation space.

Xinzhu Yu

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3001568

Abstract

Hippocampal place cells, which display location-specific activity, are known to encode spatial information. A recent study in PLOS Biology by Curreli and colleagues shows that hippocampal astrocytes are implicated in encoding complementary spatial information, suggesting the existence of glial place cells.

Highlights

In search of the neurobiological basis of the cognitive map, O’Keefe and Nadel first discovered place cells in the rodent hippocampus that become active when the animal travels to a specific location within its environment [1]
The neuronal circuits of the hippocampal formation are believed to be responsible for constructing a detailed mental model of the external space. Is this the entire story? A research article presented by Curreli and colleagues in the current issue of PLOS Biology provides the first in vivo evidence that nonneuronal glial cells display location-dependent activity [2], raising important questions about whether and how glial cells are involved in spatial navigation and cognitive map representation (Fig 1)
Curreli and colleagues recorded intracellular Ca2+ signals from hippocampal astrocytes expressing a genetically encoded Ca2+ indicator in head-fixed awake mice navigating in a virtual reality environment [2]

Summary

Introduction

In search of the neurobiological basis of the cognitive map, O’Keefe and Nadel first discovered place cells in the rodent hippocampus that become active when the animal travels to a specific location within its environment [1]. A research article presented by Curreli and colleagues in the current issue of PLOS Biology provides the first in vivo evidence that nonneuronal glial cells display location-dependent activity [2], raising important questions about whether and how glial cells are involved in spatial navigation and cognitive map representation (Fig 1).

Results

Conclusion