Microglia activation triggers astrocyte-mediated modulation of excitatory neurotransmission

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 players of synaptic transmission. In the adult hippocampus, microglia are the other major glial cell type. Microglia are highly dynamic and closely associated with neurons and astrocytes. They react rapidly to modifications of their environment and are able to release molecules known to control neuronal function and synaptic transmission. Therefore, microglia display functional features of synaptic partners, but their involvement in the regulation of synaptic transmission has not yet been addressed. We have used a…