Controlling excitatory transmission in the brain
Overexcitation of the brain may lead to seizures from the elevates extracellular potassium.
Astrocyte Kir4.1 channels help in restoring healthy potassium levels but the mechanism is not well understood.
The researchers show that the astrocyte Kir4.1 channels set the level of activity dependent local excitation by regulating presynaptic Ca2+ dynamics and glutamate release at excitatory synapses.
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)00070-1
https://sciencemission.com/controlling-excitatory-transmission
