Constraints of vigilance-dependent noradrenergic signaling to mouse cerebellar Bergmann glia.

Behavioral state plays an important role in determining astroglia Ca signaling. In particular, locomotion-mediated elevated vigilance has been found to trigger norepinephrine-dependent whole cell Ca elevations in astroglia throughout the brain. For cerebellar Bergmann glia it has recently been found that locomotion-induced transient Ca elevations depend on their α -adrenergic receptors.

Potential and Realized Impact of Astroglia Ca Dynamics on Circuit Function and Behavior.

Astroglia display a wide range of spontaneous and behavioral state-dependent Ca dynamics. During heightened vigilance, noradrenergic signaling leads to quasi-synchronous Ca elevations encompassing soma and processes across the brain-wide astroglia network. Distinct from this vigilance-associated global Ca rise are apparently spontaneous fluctuations within spatially restricted microdomains.

Ethanol abolishes vigilance-dependent astroglia network activation in mice by inhibiting norepinephrine release.

Norepinephrine adjusts sensory processing in cortical networks and gates plasticity enabling adaptive behavior. The actions of norepinephrine are profoundly altered by recreational drugs like ethanol, but the consequences of these changes on distinct targets such as astrocytes, which exhibit norepinephrine-dependent Ca elevations during vigilance, are not well understood. Using in vivo two-photon imaging, we show that locomotion-induced Ca elevations in mouse astroglia are profoundly inhibited by ethanol, an effect that can be reversed by enhancing norepinephrine release.

Effectiveness of a Web-Based Simulation in Improving Nurses' Workplace Practice With Deteriorating Ward Patients: A Pre- and Postintervention Study.

Background: Nurses play an important role in detecting patients with clinical deterioration. However, the problem of nurses failing to trigger deteriorating ward patients still persists despite the implementation of a patient safety initiative, the Rapid Response System. A Web-based simulation was developed to enhance nurses' role in recognizing and responding to deteriorating patients.