Abstract
Astrocytes form an integral part of the nervous system and are proposed to modulate neuronal circuits and behavior. The motor cortex plays a key role in the planning and execution of voluntary movements and makes key contributions to motor skill learning. However, whether motor skill learning modulates astrocytic Ca(2+) signaling in the primary motor cortex (M1) is not known. To understand the role of astrocytes in the M1, we first characterized the Ca(2+) signaling properties in astrocyte subcompartments in awake mice. We found that the subcompartments exhibited different Ca(2+) event properties during the no movement periods and locomotion. We then asked whether astrocytic Ca(2+) signaling in M1 is modulated with the acquisition of a skilled forelimb reaching task. Astrocytes exhibited altered Ca(2+) event properties at different stages of learning a forelimb reaching task, with early and transient increases in Ca(2+) event amplitude being the most prominent. These results demonstrate for the first time that, in addition to previously described synaptic plasticity, astrocytic Ca(2+) signaling is also modified with motor skill learning.