Fushun Wang

TL;DR: It is reported here that protoplasmic astrocytes in human neocortex are 2.6-fold larger in diameter and extend 10-fold more GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein)-positive primary processes than their rodent counterparts, and it is posited that thisAstrocytic complexity has permitted the increased functional competence of the adult human brain.

TL;DR: Observations indicate that adenosine mediates the effects of acupuncture and that interfering withAdenosine metabolism may prolong the clinical benefit of acupuncture.

TL;DR: It is indicated that human glia differentially enhance both activity-dependent plasticity and learning in mice.

TL;DR: It is shown that the synchronized release of norepinephrine from locus coeruleus projections throughout the cerebral cortex mediate long-ranging Ca2+ signals by activation of astrocytic α1-adrenergic receptors, which may coordinate the broad effects of neuromodulators on neuronal activity.

TL;DR: It is shown here that astrocytic Ca2+ signaling ex vivo and in vivo stimulated the Na+,K+-ATPase (Na+- and K+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase) leading to a transient decrease in the extracellular potassium ion (K+) concentration, which led to neuronal hyperpolarization and suppressed baseline excitatory synaptic activity.