Investigations\nof Astrocyte Calcium Signaling and\nImaging with Classical and Nonclassical Light

The application of light in studying and influencing\ncellular behavior\nwith improved temporal and spatial resolution remains a key objective\nin fields such as chemistry, physics, medicine, and engineering. In\nthe brain, nonexcitable cells called astrocytes play essential roles\nin regulating homeostasis and cognitive function through complex calcium\nsignaling pathways. Understanding these pathways is vital for deciphering\nbrain physiology and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s\nand Alzheimer’s. Despite challenges in selectively targeting\nastrocyte signaling pathways due to shared molecular equipment with\nneurons, recent advancements in laser technology offer promising avenues.\nHowever, the effort to use laser light properties to study astroglial\ncell function is still limited. This work aims to exploit an in-depth\npharmacological analysis of astrocyte calcium channels to determine\nthe physiological mechanism induced by exposure to classical nanosecond-pulsed\nlight. We herein report molecular clues supporting the use of visible-nanosecond\nlaser pulses as a promising approach to excite primary rat neocortical\nastrocytes and unprecedentedly report on the implementation of entangled\ntwo-photon microscopy to image them.