Topic: pontine astrocytes

Astrocytes have long been known to have a supportive role to neurons, however, more recently they have been implicated in various brain functions, such as sleep and memory. Across the sleep-wake cycle, astrocytic intracellular Ca2+ levels fluctuate, with distinct changes occurring across different brain regions. While the pons is highly involved in regulating rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, pontine astrocytes exhibit reduced Ca2+ signals upon REM sleep induction. However, the contribution of pontine astrocytes to REM sleep regulation remains unclear. In this project, we investigated if manipul