Fig. 2. A diagrammatic research scheme to dissect in vivo function of glia in higher brain function using optogenetics. This scheme shows glial cell type-specific opsin gene expression by using viral vectors or cell type-specific transgenic mice (a). Upon optogenetic glia activation/inhibition (b), the in vivo glia function can be assessed by subjecting the mice in a series of behavioral tests (c). The function of glia in anxiety can be measured by elevated plus maze that is based on the aversion of mice to open spaces. The forced swimming test is the most frequently used behavioral test for assessing depression-related behaviors. To assess the recognition and aversive memory, behavioral tests such as novel object recognition and fear conditioning task can be used.
© Exp Neurobiol
