Scholars discover new targets that affect memory maintenance

Scholars discover new targets that affect memory maintenance

Scholars discover new targets that affect memory maintenance Scholars discover new targets that affect memory maintenance

Schematic author provided

Schematic author provided

On November 16, researcher Zhang Kuan's group and researcher Chen Xiaowei's group from the Basic Medical College of the Army Military Medical University collaborated with the German Technical University of Munich team to publish a paper in "Nature-Neuroscience", and found that the learning process can induce the cortex Astrocytes produce new calcium signals, which are mediated by nicotine receptors and are essential for memory maintenance
.

How is memory maintained? The detailed mechanism is still unclear, and related research mainly focuses on the role of neurons in memory maintenance
.

Studies have found that the maintenance of memory requires the enhancement of morphological and functional connections (synaptic connections) between neurons in specific neural circuits
.

Therefore, any factor that can change the continuous strength of neuronal synapses may affect memory maintenance

Astrocytes are the most widely distributed cell type in mammalian brains
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It can respond to neuronal activity by regulating the concentration of intracellular calcium ions, thereby releasing "glia transmitters" and regulating synaptic function

In addition, astrocytes also express many types of neurotransmitter receptors
.

Through these receptors, it can produce a "calcium response" to a variety of sensory stimuli including sound, light, smell and pain

However, due to technical limitations, it is difficult to identify a single astrocyte in a living animal, and it is also impossible to simultaneously record the dynamic process of astrocyte calcium signals during the entire learning and memory process
.

"In recent years, through cooperation with other teams, we have successfully developed a two-photon in vivo calcium imaging technology for astrocytes, which can achieve alignment on multiple scales of population cells-single cells-subcellular (cell protrusions or end feet).
Functional imaging and analysis of calcium signals of astrocytes in the brains of living animals
.

We have also developed a fiber-optic recording technology for calcium signals of astrocytes in free awake animals, which realizes the simultaneous recording of calcium activities of astrocytes

Using these technical conditions, the author discovered for the first time the calcium signal of astrocytes induced by the learning process
.

This signal is mediated by nicotine receptors in astrocytes activated by sensory stimuli, and is maintained or disappeared synchronously with memory behavior

Zhang Kuan said that the results of the study show that nicotine receptors in astrocytes are very important for memory maintenance
.

This clarifies a new direction for people to understand the mechanism of memory maintenance, and also provides a new target for memory dysfunction intervention

"In the future, we will continue to study the physiological functions of astrocytes in a variety of cognitive behaviors
.

At the same time, combining a variety of neurodegenerative disease models to explore the pathophysiological mechanism of astrocytes and their potential Astrocytes interfere with the target

Related paper information: https://doi.

https://doi.

Fear learning training can induce astrocytes to produce calcium signals

Fear learning training can induce astrocytes to produce calcium signals

Fear learning training can induce astrocytes in free and awake animals to produce calcium signals

Fear learning training can induce astrocytes in free and awake animals to produce calcium signals

Astrocyte learning-related calcium signal can be maintained for a long time

Astrocyte learning-related calcium signal can be maintained for a long time

Specific knockout of nicotine receptors in astrocytes reduces fear memory behavior

Specific knockout of nicotine receptors in astrocytes reduces fear memory behavior

(The above pictures are provided by the research group)

(The above pictures are provided by the research group)