Astrocytes as Context-Specific Regulators of Memory in Health and Disease

Abstract

Dr. Orr will discuss emerging studies showing that astrocytes are context-dependent regulators of behavior and cognitive function, including spatial memory. These studies suggest that aberrant changes in astrocytic signaling in aging or disease promote selective and sex-specific neural deficits and represent novel therapeutic targets for various CNS disorders. Dr. Orr will also highlight new findings that astrocytic proteinopathy associated with dementia can induce memory loss through selective changes in astrocytic neuroimmune pathways and synaptic functions. Together, these studies are redefining astrocytes as precise neural modulators in health and disease.