The current study investigates how the morphological maturation of astrocytes during postnatal development affects the regulation of extracellular potassium and calcium signaling. By combining quantitative morphometric analysis with biophysical simulations (NEURON RxD/MSASTRO), representative cells from postnatal days P7 and P21 were compared, with their morphologies corresponding to immature and mature stages, respectively. The results showed that P7 astrocytes are simpler, with limited branching and a smaller spatial footprint, whereas P21 astrocytes display increased complexity, extended processes, and deeper branching. These structural differences were reflected in functional distinctions, as potassium simulations revealed faster and more homogeneous equilibration in mature astrocytes, indicating enhanced ionic regulatory capacity. Calcium simulations reinforced this structure-function relationship, showing that immature astrocytes generate limited, localized low-amplitude oscillations, whereas mature ones exhibit extensive, global calcium waves with higher amplitude and rhythmicity. Overall, maturation transforms astrocytes from local regulators into integrated, network-level coordinators of ionic homeostasis and signaling. This study represent that the interdependence between form and function is a central aspect of astrocytic physiology, providing a unified computational framework for linking cellular architecture to physiological performance.
Χρυσούλα Χ. Τσιμπέρη (Wed,) studied this question.