UCLA Health researchers have discovered a group of specialized support cells in the brain that can modulate behaviors associated with human neuropsychiatric disorders.
Research published in journals Naturefocused on a group of cells known as astrocytes, the star-shaped cells that tile the central nervous system and provide the supporting structure for neurotransmission networks.
Neurons have long been understood to primarily control behavior, but the new study shows that a distinct group of astrocytes, located deep in a central region of the brain known as the central striatum, also interacts between neurons. It turns out that it may regulate communication. Unlike other astrocytes, this group of astrocytes express the following genes: krim, encodes a protein known as μ-crystallin. This protein has been associated with several human diseases, including neuropsychiatric disorders, but its effects on brain function are largely unknown.
Several years ago, our laboratory discovered that astrocytes in the striatum krim. It was my job to figure out what it did. By reducing the expression of this gene in astrocytes of the central striatum, I uncovered a mechanism associated with a specific behavior called perseverance. ”
Matthias Olivier, lead author of the study and postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
In this study, the researchers genetically reduced the expression of the gene in the astrocytes of this group of mice. When researchers studied the behavior of mice, they found a significant increase in repetitive behavioral patterns and activities that served little purpose or made it difficult for the mice to transition to other activities. . This behavior, known as perseverance, is associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders such as autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Huntington's disease, and Tourette syndrome.
As a result of the research, krim-Positive astrocytes in the central striatum regulate neurotransmitter transmission at synapses from the cortex to brain centers within the striatum.
“At a basic biology level, this study provides evidence that different types of astrocytes have important neurobiological functions,” said the study's lead author, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. said Baljit Kirk, professor of physiology and neurobiology at .
Researchers say this discovery could be a starting point for the development of potential treatments to reduce the severity of various diseases. Further studies are underway to understand the interactions and signaling cascades regulated by μ-crystallin.
sauce:
University of California, Los Angeles Health Sciences
Reference magazines:
Olivier, M.,other. (2024). Crym-positive striatal astrocytes gate persistent behavior. Nature. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07138-0.
