%A Heller,Janosch P. %A Rusakov,Dmitri A. %D 2017 %J Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience %C %F %G English %K Synapses,astroglia,tripartite synapse,Superresolution microscopy,plasticity %Q %R 10.3389/fncel.2017.00374 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2017-November-24 %9 Review %+ Janosch P. Heller,UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London,United Kingdom,janosch.heller@dcu.ie %+ Prof Dmitri A. Rusakov,UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London,United Kingdom,janosch.heller@dcu.ie %+ Prof Dmitri A. Rusakov,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Nizhny Novgorod,Russia,janosch.heller@dcu.ie %# %! Nanoworld of tripartie synapses %* %< %T The Nanoworld of the Tripartite Synapse: Insights from Super-Resolution Microscopy %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2017.00374 %V 11 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1662-5102 %X Synaptic connections between individual nerve cells are fundamental to the process of information transfer and storage in the brain. Over the past decades a third key partner of the synaptic machinery has been unveiled: ultrathin processes of electrically passive astroglia which often surround pre- and postsynaptic structures. The recent advent of super-resolution (SR) microscopy has begun to uncover the dynamic nanoworld of synapses and their astroglial environment. Here we overview and discuss the current progress in our understanding of the synaptic nanoenvironment, as gleaned from the imaging methods that go beyond the diffraction limit of conventional light microscopy. We argue that such methods are essential to achieve a new level of comprehension pertinent to the principles of signal integration in the brain.