{"id":123049,"date":"2024-11-07T10:11:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T03:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123049"},"modified":"2024-11-07T10:11:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T03:11:00","slug":"astrocytes-role-in-memory-storage-and-recall-uncovered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123049","title":{"rendered":"Astrocytes\u2019 Role in Memory Storage and Recall Uncovered"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>Astrocytes, non-neuronal brain cells, have been shown to work alongside neurons to store and recall memories, reshaping our understanding of memory mechanisms. Researchers found that specific astrocytes express the c-Fos gene during memory formation, influencing neuron communication to store memories. This discovery highlights astrocytes\u2019 unique, memory-specific roles and suggests potential new avenues for treating memory-related disorders.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Astrocytes, long thought to mainly support neurons, play an active role in memory storage and recall.<\/li>\n<li>Activating memory-linked astrocytes in mice triggered recall, suggesting astrocytes can independently influence memory retrieval.<\/li>\n<li>Suppressing NFIA in memory-linked astrocytes prevented specific memory recall without affecting other memories.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong>Baylor College of Medicine<\/p>\n<p><strong>A study published in\u00a0<em>Nature<\/em>\u00a0by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine changes the way we understand memory. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Until now, memories have been explained by the activity of brain cells called neurons that respond to learning events and control memory recall.<\/p>\n<p>The Baylor team expanded this theory by showing that non-neuronal cell types in the brain called\u00a0astrocytes \u2013 star-shaped cells \u2013\u00a0also store memories\u00a0and work in concert with groups of neurons called engrams to regulate storage\u00a0and retrieval of memories.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><picture fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105919\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-770x513.jpg.webp 770w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-1155x770.jpg.webp 1155w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-370x247.jpg.webp 370w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-293x195.jpg.webp 293w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-150x100.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"799\" src=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence.jpg\" alt=\"This shows a brain.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-770x513.jpg 770w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-1155x770.jpg 1155w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-370x247.jpg 370w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-293x195.jpg 293w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/11\/astrocytes-memory-neurosicence-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/> <\/picture><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The team found that astrocytes activated by learning events have elevated levels of the NFIA protein, and preventing NFIA production in these astrocytes suppresses memory recall. Importantly, this suppression is memory specific. Credit: Neuroscience News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe prevailing idea is that the formation and recall of memories only involves neuronal engrams that are activated by certain experiences, and hold and retrieve a memory,\u201d said corresponding author\u00a0Dr. Benjamin Deneen, professor and Dr. Russell J. and Marian K. Blattner Chair in the Department of\u00a0Neurosurgery, director of the\u00a0Center for Cancer Neuroscience, a member of the\u00a0Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center\u00a0at Baylor and a principal investigator at the\u00a0Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur lab has a long history of studying astrocytes and their interactions with neurons. We have found that these cells interact closely with each other, both physically and functionally, and that this is essential for proper brain function. However, the role of astrocytes in storage and retrieval of memories has not been investigated before,\u201d Deneen said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Astrocytes trigger memory recall<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The researchers began by developing a completely new set of laboratory tools to identify and study the activity of astrocytes associated with memory brain circuits.<\/p>\n<p>A typical experiment consisted of, first, conditioning mice to feel fear and \u2018freeze\u2019 after exposure to a certain situation. When mice were placed back in the same situation after some time, they would freeze because they remembered. If the same mice were placed in a different situation, they would not freeze because it\u2019s not the original context in which they were conditioned to feel fear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorking with these mice and with our new lab tools, we were able to show that astrocytes do play a role in memory recall,\u201d said co-first author\u00a0Dr. Wookbong Kwon, a postdoctoral associate in the\u00a0Deneen lab.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers show that during learning events, such as fear conditioning, a subset of astrocytes in the brain expresses the c-Fos gene. Astrocytes expressing c-Fos subsequently regulate circuit function in that brain region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe c-Fos-expressing astrocytes are physically close with engram neurons,\u201d said co-first author\u00a0Dr. Michael R. Williamson, a postdoctoral associate in the Deneen lab.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFurthermore, we found that engram neurons and the physically associated astrocyte ensemble also are functionally connected. Activating the astrocyte ensemble specifically stimulates synaptic activity or communication in the corresponding neuron engram. This astrocyte-neuron communication flows both ways; astrocytes and neurons depend on each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When mice were in a situation not associated with fear, they did not freeze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, when the astrocyte ensemble in these mice in the non-fearful environment was activated, the animals froze, showing that astrocyte activation stimulates memory recall,\u201d Kwon said.<\/p>\n<p>To better understand what mediates the activity of astrocyte ensembles in memory recall, the researchers investigated the gene NFIA.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur lab has previously shown that astrocytic NFIA can regulate memory circuits, but whether it acts in ensembles of astrocytes to orchestrate memory storage and recall was unknown,\u201d Williamson said.<\/p>\n<p>The team found that astrocytes activated by learning events have elevated levels of the NFIA protein, and preventing NFIA production in these astrocytes suppresses memory recall. Importantly, this suppression is memory specific.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we deleted the NFIA gene in astrocytes that were active during a learning event, the animals were not able to recall the specific memory associated with the learning event, but they could recall other memories,\u201d Kwon said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese findings speak to the nature of the role of astrocytes in memory,\u201d Deneen said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnsembles of learning-associated astrocytes are specific to that learning event. The astrocyte ensembles regulating the recall of the fearful experience are different from those involved in recalling a different learning experience, and the ensemble of neurons is different as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The current study illuminates a more complete picture of the players that are involved and the activities that take place in the brain during memory formation and recall. In addition, the study provides a new perspective when studying human conditions associated with memory loss, like Alzheimer\u2019s disease, as well as conditions in which memories occur repeatedly and are difficult to suppress, like post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n<p>Junsung Woo, Yeunjung Ko, Ehson Maleki, Kwanha Yu, Sanjana Murali and Debosmita Sardar also contributed to this work. They are all affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Funding: <\/strong>This work was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health grants (R35-NS132230, R21-MH134002 and R01-AG071687), grant AHA-23POST1019413 and a grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea (RS- 2024-00405396). Further support was provided by the David and Eula Wintermann Foundation, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health award P50HD103555.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About this memory research news<\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Author: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#aaedd8cbc9c3cfc6cb84eddfdec3cfd8d8cfd0eac8c9c784cfcedf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Graciela Gutierrez<\/a><br \/><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bcm.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Baylor College of Medicine<\/a><br \/><strong>Contact: <\/strong>Graciela Gutierrez \u2013 Baylor College of Medicine<br \/><strong>Image: <\/strong>The image is credited to Neuroscience News<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Original Research: <\/strong>Closed access.<br \/>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-024-08170-w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learning-Associated Astrocyte Ensembles Regulate Memory Recall<\/a>\u201d by Benjamin Deneen et al. <em>Nature<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-pale-cyan-blue-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-background\"\/>\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Learning-Associated Astrocyte Ensembles Regulate Memory Recall<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The physical manifestations of memory formation and recall are fundamental questions that remain unresolved. At the cellular level, ensembles of neurons called engrams are activated by learning events and control memory recall.<\/p>\n<p>Astrocytes are found in close proximity to neurons and engage in a range of activities that support neurotransmission and circuit plasticity. Moreover, astrocytes exhibit experience-dependent plasticity, although whether specific ensembles of astrocytes participate in memory recall remains obscure.<\/p>\n<p>Here we show that learning events induce c-Fos expression in a subset of hippocampal astrocytes, and that this subsequently regulates the function of the hippocampal circuit\u00a0in mice.<\/p>\n<p>Intersectional labelling of astrocyte ensembles with c-Fos after learning events shows that they are closely affiliated with engram neurons, and reactivation of these astrocyte ensembles stimulates memory recall.<\/p>\n<p>At the molecular level, learning-associated astrocyte (LAA) ensembles exhibit elevated expression of nuclear factor I-A, and its selective deletion from this population suppresses memory recall.<\/p>\n<p>Taken together, our data identify LAA ensembles as a form of plasticity that is sufficient to provoke memory recall and indicate that astrocytes are an active component of the engram.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- Form created by Optin Forms plugin by WPKube: create beautiful optin forms with ease! --> <!-- https:\/\/wpkube.com\/ --><!--optinforms-form5-container--> <!-- \/ Optin Forms --> <\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/astrocytes-memory-storage-27982\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary: Astrocytes, non-neuronal brain cells, have been shown to work alongside neurons to store and recall memories, reshaping our understanding of memory mechanisms. Researchers found that specific astrocytes express the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123049\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=123049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123049\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=123049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=123049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=123049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}