Analysis of the roles of astrocytes for social memory

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06407
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 46020:Anatomy and histopathology of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: HATTORI TSUYOSHI 金沢大学, 医学系, 准教授 (50457024)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 社会性 / グリア細胞 / 神経回路形成 / 発達障害 / アストロサイト / シナプス / 大脳皮質 / 海馬

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Animals that form societies, including humans, form adaptive societies by remembering other individuals in the group (social memory) and behaving appropriately towards each other. Recently, the neural mechanisms　which are critical for social memory, such as responsible neural circuits, begin to be clarified. However, still little is known about how the neural circuits responsible for social memory are created during brain development.
Here, we revealed that glial cells (cells other than neurons in the brain) during early childhood are important for the formation of a brain that remembers others. Furthermore, we clarified the mechanism by which a molecule called CD38 in astrocytes regulates the formation of neural circuits.

Free Research Field

神経解剖学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

自閉スペクトラム症などの脳の発達障害においては、何らかの原因により胎児期から生後の脳の発達に異常が生じた結果、社会性の障害などを呈すると考えられています。この脳の発達において、社会性記憶の神経回路の形成にも異常があるため、他者とのコミュニケーションに障害が起きると予想されます。本研究をさらに発展させることにより、社会性を担う脳の仕組みが明らかになるだけでなく、自閉スペクトラム症などの社会性障害が見られる脳神経疾患の原因究明につながることが期待されます。