From sight to action - radial astrocytes synchronization in zebrafish

Our ability to see involves not only the eyes, but also a specific part of the brain that is responsible for processing data received from the outer world. In zebrafish, this part is the optic tectum (OT). This region, similar to other brain domains, contains glial cells called radial astrocytes (RAs), the zebrafish equivalent to mammalian astrocytes. RAs play an important role in the physical support of neurons, as well as in brain homeostasis. Normally, abrupt changes in light awaken escape behavior that demands muscle movement in response to visual stimuli. In a new article published in Neuron, Prof. Lior Appelbaum and Prof. German Sumbre found that intriguingly, at the end of an escape behavior, RA activity in the OT is synchronized by norepinephrine secreted from the locus coeruleus. This modulation allows the brain to adapt computational capabilities to behavioral states, with RAs contributing to sustaining zebrafish behavior through neuro-glial interactions.