The developmental profile of visual cortex astrocytes

We investigated how astrocytes in layer 5 mouse visual cortex mature over postnatal days (P) 3–50. Across this age range, resting membrane potential increased, input resistance decreased, and membrane responses became more passive with age. Two-photon (2p) and confocal imaging of dye-loaded cells revealed that gap-junction coupling increased starting ∼P7. Morphological reconstructions revealed increased branch density but shorter branches after P20, suggesting that astrocyte branches may get pruned as tiling is established. Finally, we visualized spontaneous Ca(2+) transients with 2p microscopy and found that Ca(2+) events decorrelated, became more frequent and briefer with age. As astrocytes mature, spontaneous Ca(2+) activity thus changes from relatively cell-wide, synchronous waves to local transients. Several astrocyte properties were stably mature from ∼P15, coinciding with eye opening, although morphology continued to develop. Our findings provide a descriptive foundation of astrocyte maturation, useful for the study of astrocytic impact on visual cortex critical period plasticity.