Astrocytes and Memory: Implications for the Treatment of Memory-related Disorders

Title:Astrocytes and Memory: Implications for the Treatment of Memory-related Disorders

Volume: 22 Issue: 13

Author(s): Juan Wang, Ping Cheng, Yan Qu and Guoqi Zhu*

Affiliation:

• Key Laboratory of Xin’an Medicine, the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Brain Diseases), Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China

Keywords: Astrocyte, memory, memory-related disorder, synaptic plasticity, neuronal networks, Alzheimer’s disease, PTSD.

Abstract: Memory refers to the imprint accumulated in the brain by life experiences and represents the basis for humans to engage in advanced psychological activities such as thinking and imagination. Previously, research activities focused on memory have always targeted neurons. However, in addition to neurons, astrocytes are also involved in the encoding, consolidation, and extinction of memory. In particular, astrocytes are known to affect the recruitment and function of neurons at the level of local synapses and brain networks. Moreover, the involvement of astrocytes in memory and memory-related disorders, especially in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has been investigated extensively. In this review, we describe the unique contributions of astrocytes to synaptic plasticity and neuronal networks and discuss the role of astrocytes in different types of memory processing. In addition, we also explore the roles of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of memory-related disorders, such as AD, brain aging, PTSD and addiction, thus suggesting that targeting astrocytes may represent a potential strategy to treat memory-related neurological diseases. In conclusion, this review emphasizes that thinking from the perspective of astrocytes will provide new ideas for the diagnosis and therapy of memory-related neurological disorders.

Cite this article as:

Wang Juan, Cheng Ping, Qu Yan and Zhu Guoqi*, Astrocytes and Memory: Implications for the Treatment of Memory-related Disorders, Current Neuropharmacology 2024; 22 (13) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570159X22666240128102039