The interaction between astrocytes and neurons is examined from the standpoint of glutamate neurotoxicity. The review details 1. the distribution of glutamate transporters on astrocytes and neurons, provoking a reformulation of the interdependence between these two cell types in removing extracellular glutamate and preventing excitotoxic injury; 2. the potential involvement of aberrant glutamate transporter function in the etiology of neuropathological conditions; 3. the role of astrocyte-neuron interaction in widely divergent aspects of brain energetics; 4. the role of astrocytes in the process of glutamate recycling within the context of anesthetic treatment with pentobarbital and thiopental.