Glial processes are glued to synapses via Ca(2+)-permeable glutamate receptors.

Bergmann glia in the cerebellum elaborately ensheathe Purkinje cell dendrites and synapses, and express high levels of Ca(2+)-permeable glutamate receptors (GluRs). Suppression of the Ca(2+) permeability by virus-mediated GluR2 transfer has revealed that GluR-mediated Ca(2+) signaling is essential to maintain both structural and functional connections between the glial cell and the glutamatergic synapses.