When it comes to memory, immune cells are known as the “bad cops” of the brain. But new research shows they could also be turned into “good cops” to power memory and learning.

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Star-shaped cells called astrocytes help the brain establish long-lasting memories, Salk researchers have discovered. The new work adds to a growing body of evidence that astrocytes, long considered to be merely supportive cells in the brain, may have more of a leading role. The study, published in the journal GLIA on July 26, 2019, could inform therapies for disorders in which long-term memory is impaired, such as traumatic brain injury or dementia.

“This is an indication that these cells are doing a lot more than just helping neurons maintain their activity,” says Professor Terrence Sejnowski, head of Salk’s Computational Neurobiology Laboratory and senior author of the new work. “It suggests that they’re actually playing an important role in how information is transmitted and stored in the brain.”

The brain’s neurons rely on speedy electrical signals to communicate throughout the brain and release neurotransmitters, but astrocytes instead generate signals of calcium and release substances known as gliotransmitters, some of them chemically similar to neurotransmitters. The classical view was that astrocytes’ function was mostly to provide support to the more active neurons, helping transport nutrients, clean up molecular debris, and hold neurons in place. Only more recently, researchers have found that they might play other, more active, roles in the brain through the release of gliotransmitters but these remain largely mysterious.

In 2014, Sejnowski, Salk postdoctoral researcher António Pinto-Duarte and their colleagues showed that disabling the release of gliotransmitters in astrocytes turned down a type of electrical rhythm known as a gamma oscillation, important for cognitive skills. In that study, when the researchers tested the learning and memory skills of mice with disabled astrocytes, they found deficits that were restricted to their capacity to discriminate novelty.

SPG Notes^^:Focus on astrocytes and gliotransmitters as what needs to be supported for memory improvement.

Next Steps:

Look up more on astrocytes and gliotransmitters and confirm their importance

for memory.

Find nutrients that support both. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200211103731.htm

Date: February 11, 2020 Source: RMIT University

Summary:

Inflammation can send the brain’s immune cells into damaging hyperdrive, an effect that has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases that affect memory, like dementia. A new study finds these same immune cells can also be activated to have the reverse effect, powering memory and learning.

In the new study, researchers at RMIT University found that these same immune cells -- known as microglia -- can also be activated to have the reverse effect.

When the microglia were altered in rats, their performance in simple memory tasks improved by up to 50%, rather than deteriorating.

While the effect was temporary, the discovery suggests these cells could be targeted in the development of new therapies designed to enhance memory formation, with the hope of preventing cognitive decline as people grow older.

Chief Investigator and senior author, Associate Professor Sarah Spencer, said the unexpected results of the study expanded our understanding of memory formation and the role of neuroinflammation in memory loss.

“Even in healthy adults, optimizing how well we learn and remember can give us a substantial performance edge at work and socially.

“Our study has for the first time shown a link between changes in the immune

cells of healthy brains and improved cognitive function.

The study looked how the rats performed memory tasks when the immune cells were present and compared this with their performance when almost all the microglia were knocked out.

They found that removing almost all the microglia made no difference in

memory tasks.

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