Thursday, 9/14/2017
A group of researchers from ICVS has demonstrated the importance of astrocytes, which are one of the most common kinds of brain cells, in the communication role amongst several brain regions relevant to cognition.
Although the importance of
astrocytes in the neuronal networks are known, little or nothing was known
about their influence in the cognitive processes such as learning or memory.
This research’s goal was to
understand the relevance of astrocyte-neuron communication within cognitive
processes. In order to do so, researchers studied the cognitive function in a
mouse model with genetically modified astrocytes which were unable to release
signalling molecules and therefore unable to communicate with neurons.
The results of this study were
published this week in GLIA journal and they show that neural networks
responsible for cognitive computation are desynchronized whenever
astrocyte-neuron communication is off. They also showed a substantial deficit
in cognitive functions such as learning and memory, which proves that
astrocytes are essential to these kinds of brain functions.
This research may
significantly change physiology textbooks and it may be a first step in
treating psychiatric diseases characterized by the development of cognitive
deficits. In the future, the same team of researchers aims at understanding the
time and space properties of astrocytes-neurons communication in order to
develop new therapeutic approaches to learning and memory problems.
