EC Neurology

Mini Review Volume 15 Issue 4 - 2023

Imbalances in Astrocyte Signaling Affecting the Hippocampal Cortical Network in MCI

Denis Larrivee1,2*

1Mind and Brain Institute, University of Navarra Medical School, Spain
2Loyola University, Chicago, USA

*Corresponding Author: Denis Larrivee, Mind and Brain Institute, University of Navarra Medical School, Spain.
Received: March 03, 2023; Published: March 11, 2023



Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is generally understood to mean an age-related impairment in recollection mechanisms beyond that normally observed in the elderly. Various studies show that these mechanisms involve the hippocampal cortical network (HCN), a distributed cluster of mediotemporal brain regions that communicate with the hippocampus, which acts as a network hub. Accumulating evidence indicates that a crucial cellular element regulating information flow within the HCN is the astrocyte. Accordingly, astrocytic mechanisms involved in regulating information flow within the HCN are likely to be disrupted in MCI. Consistent with this, astrocyte influence in memory networks is affected in MCI and AD patients, with impairments seen, for example, in reductions in functional connectivity, a measure of interregional coupling. Astrocyte pathologies thus appear to drive network imbalances leading to clinically relevant phenotypes of MCI and could represent novel and significant therapeutic targets for MCI treatment, the subject of this short review.

Keywords: Mild Cognitive Impairment; Dementia; Astrocytes; Microdomains; Theta-Gamma Coupling

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Denis Larrivee. “Imbalances in Astrocyte Signaling Affecting the Hippocampal Cortical Network in MCI”. EC Neurology  15.4 (2023): 32-39.

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