Analyzing dynamics of calcium and actin in primary cortical rat astrocytes of differing cytoskeletal architectures*

Astrocytes are an important cell type and are responsible for managing information flow and homeostasis in the brain. Astrocytes perform these functions using slow calcium (Ca²⁺) waves to communicate with each other and with other neural cells. Additionally, the ways in which astrocytes interact with neurons are dependent upon the cytoskeletal architecture, which in turn is affected by overall cell morphology. The three main morphological phenotypes of astrocytes are (1) stellate, (2) polygonal, and (3) reactive. In terms of functional states, the phenotypes correspond to immature, mature, and injury prevention, respectively. These diverse phenotypes and their associated functional consequences demonstrate a need to robustly analyze the functional dynamics of each type. Chemically and mechanically, we induce these differing phenotypes in vitro and then study native and perturbed calcium and actin dynamics. We employ data analytic algorithms to demonstrate differences (or lack there of) in the dynamics of these different astrocyte phenotypes. The use of data analytics reveals feature spaces whereby more insight into the way in which astrocytes signal can be known.