S100β-mediated astroglial control of firing and input processing in layer 5 pyramidal neurons of the mouse visual cortex.

Key Points: Inputs impinging on layer 5 pyramidal neurons perform essential operations as these cells represent one of the most important output carriers of the cerebral cortex. However, the contribution of astrocytes, a type of glial cell, to these operations is poorly documented. Here we found that optogenetic activation of astrocytes in the vicinity of layer 5 in the mouse primary visual cortex induces spiking in local pyramidal neurons through Nav1.