Glia Excitation in the CNS Modulates Intact Behaviors and Sensory-CNS-Motor Circuitry

Glial cells play a role in many important processes, though the mechanisms through which they affect neighboring are not fully known. Insights may be gained by selectively activating glial cell populations intact organisms utilizing activatable channel proteins rhodopsin (ChR2XXL) and TRPA1. Here, impacts of glial-specific expression these channels were examined both larval adult Drosophila. The Glia > ChR2XXL adults larvae became immobile when exposed to blue light TRPA1-expressed Drosophila upon heat exposure. chloride pump glia eNpHR animals showed no observable differences or larvae. In situ neural circuit activity ChR2XXL, evoked first more intense with concurrent exposure, then was silenced slowly picked back up after turned off. This decrease motor nerve also noted behaviors for TRPA1 As proof concept, this study demonstrated that activation can produce excessive it appears increased excitation depressed neuron activity.