2026-02-20 アリゾナ大学
アリゾナ大学の研究で、従来は神経細胞を支える補助的役割と考えられてきたグリア細胞が、不快な記憶(嫌悪記憶)の形成に重要な役割を果たすことが明らかになった。動物モデルを用いた実験により、特定のグリア細胞活動を操作すると嫌悪体験の記憶強度が変化することを確認。神経回路だけでなく、非神経細胞も記憶回路に積極的に関与することを示す成果であり、PTSDなど情動関連障害の理解や治療標的開発につながる可能性がある。
<関連情報>
- https://news.arizona.edu/news/brain-cells-long-called-support-found-be-critical-aversive-memory
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10068-0
アストロサイトは記憶を支える扁桃体の神経表現を可能にする Astrocytes enable amygdala neural representations supporting memory
Olena Bukalo,Ruairi O’Sullivan,Yuta Tanisumi,Adriana Mendez,Chase Weinholtz,Sydney Zimmerman,Victoria Offenberg,Olivia Carpenter,Hrishikesh Bhagwat,Sophie Mosley,John J. O’Malley,Kerri Lyons,Yulan Fang,Jess Goldschlager,Linnaea E. Ostroff,Mario A. Penzo,Hiroaki Wake,Lindsay R. Halladay & Andrew Holmes
Nature Published:11 February 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10068-0
Abstract
Brain systems mediating responses to previously encountered threats provide critical survival functions. Fear memory and extinction are underpinned by neural representations in the basolateral amygdala (BLA)1,2,3,4,5,6,7, but the contribution of non-neuronal cells, including astrocytes, to these processes remains unresolved. Here, using in vivo calcium (Ca2+) imaging and causal astrocyte manipulations, we find that BLA astrocytes dynamically track fear state and support fear memory retrieval and extinction. By combining astrocyte manipulations with in vivo BLA neuronal Ca2+ imaging and electrophysiological recordings, we show that astrocyte Ca2+ signalling enables neuronal encoding of fear memory retrieval and extinction, and readout through a BLA–prefrontal circuit. Our findings reveal a key role for astrocytes in the generation and adaptation of fear-state-related neural representations, revising neurocentric models of critical amygdala-mediated adaptive functions.
