Astrocytes as the Elements of the Regulation of Higher Brain Functions

Abstract

Abstract—The role of astroglia cells is more complex than the idea that they are an elastic frame that provides structural and metabolic support in the brain. The data of cyto-biochemical and physiological analysis demonstrate that astrocytes are integral elements of neural networks. Astrocytes can affect synaptic processes due to release or modulation of the activity of neurotransmitters. Here, we present ideas on an astrocyte hypothesis, which determines the role of astroglia as a specific management service. Due to the interaction of gliotransmitters with neurons, astrocytes affect the formation of neuronal networks and participate in the regulation of memory and complex behavior in the healthy or diseased brain. The role of astrocytes in organization of network spaces and formation of neuron–astrocyte domains is considered to be one of the physiological mechanisms of memory. We demonstrated the mechanism of the participation of astrocytes in synaptic disintegration and psychoneurological pathology for the first time.