• Alexei Verkhratsky and Maiken Nedergaard.
• Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao, Spain Department of Neurosciences, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU and CIBERNED, Leioa, Spain University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny, Novgorod 603022, Russia alexej.verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk.
• Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci. 2016 Aug 5; 371 (1700).

AbstractEvolution of the nervous system progressed through cellular diversification and specialization of functions. Conceptually, the nervous system is composed from electrically excitable neuronal networks connected with chemical synapses and non-excitable glial cells that provide for homeostasis and defence. Astrocytes are integrated into neural networks through multipartite synapses; astroglial perisynaptic processes closely enwrap synaptic contacts and control homeostasis of the synaptic cleft, supply neurons with glutamate and GABA obligatory precursor glutamine and contribute to synaptic plasticity, learning and memory. In neuropathology, astrocytes may undergo reactive remodelling or degeneration; to a large extent, astroglial reactions define progression of the pathology and neurological outcome.This article is part of the themed issue 'Evolution brings Ca(2+) and ATP together to control life and death'.© 2016 The Author(s).

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