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.