ASTROCYTE-NEURON INTERACTION DURING ONE-TRIAL AVERSIVE LEARNING IN THE NEONATE CHICK

During two specific stages of the Gibbs-Ng model of one-trial aversive learning in the neonate chick, we have recently found unequivocal evi dence for a crucial involvement of astrocytes. This evidence is metabo lic (utilization of the astrocyte-specific energy store, glycogen, dur ing normal learning and inhibition of memory formation by the astrocyt e specific metabolic inhibitors, fluoroacetate and methionine sulfoxim ine) as well as physiological (abolition of memory formation in the pr esence of ethacrynic acid, an astrocyte-specific inhibitor of cellular reaccumulation of potassium ions). These findings are discussed in th e present review in the framework of a more comprehensive description of metabolic and physiological neuronal-astrocytic interactions across an interstitial (extracellular) space bounded by minute processes fro m either cell type. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.