# Dissecting Monoaminergic Physiology of Prefrontal Cortical Astrocytes

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $201,562

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Motivated behaviors, included those altered in substance use disorders, are known to be regulated by
monoaminergic circuits (containing neurons that release dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine) in multiple
brain regions. Disentangling these circuits from the cell-level to the systems- and behavioral-levels has almost
exclusively been limited to studying the physiology of neurons. However, recent data suggest that the activity
of a non-neuronal cell type—astrocytes—may have profound effects on how monoaminergic networks function,
but how astrocytes respond to monoamines and change their physiology in response to repetitive drug
exposure remain almost completely unstudied. The current proposal aims to address gaps in our
understanding of addiction, monoamine signaling, and multi-cell type population dynamics by uncovering
fundamental cell biological signaling systems in astrocytes that are critical for the function of brain regions with
monoaminergic input.
 In Aim 1, we will use two-photon imaging and photoactivation to interrogate the cell signaling mechanisms
that prefrontal cortical astrocytes deploy to sense extracellular monoamine dynamics across cortical layers. In
Aim 2, we will decode the mechanisms by which astrocytes change, both instrinsically and in their output to the
neuronal population, after long-term exposure to a psychostimulant. With these aims, we will probe the roles of
astrocyte physiology in baseline prefrontal cortex function and as mediators of circuit neuroplasticity in a model
of addiction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9912149
- **Project number:** 5R21DA048497-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Kira Poskanzer
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $201,562
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-15 → 2021-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9912149

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9912149, Dissecting Monoaminergic Physiology of Prefrontal Cortical Astrocytes (5R21DA048497-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9912149. Licensed CC0.

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