Emerging roles of astrocytes in neural circuit development

One of the roles of astrocytes in the brain is to regulate the formation, maturation, function and elimination of synapses and thereby to support the formation of appropriate neural circuits. Clarke and Barres review our current understanding of these vital processes and highlight unanswered questions for future research. Astrocytes are now emerging as key participants in many aspects of brain development, function and disease. In particular, new evidence shows that astrocytes powerfully control the formation, maturation, function and elimination of synapses through various secreted and contact-mediated signals. Astrocytes are also increasingly being implicated in the pathophysiology of many psychiatric and neurological disorders that result from synaptic defects. A better understanding of how astrocytes regulate neural circuit development and function in the healthy and diseased brain might lead to the development of therapeutic agents to treat these diseases.