美国国立卫生研究院Andrew Holmes团队取得一项新突破。他们发现星形胶质细胞使杏仁核神经表征支持记忆。2026年2月11日，国际知名学术期刊《自然》发表了这一成果。

通过体内钙离子成像和星形胶质细胞操纵，该研究组发现BLA星形胶质细胞动态跟踪恐惧状态并支持恐惧记忆的恢复和消退。通过将星形胶质细胞操作与体内BLA神经元Ca²⁺成像和电生理记录相结合，小组发现星形胶质细胞Ca²⁺信号可以使神经元编码恐惧记忆的检索和消除，并通过BLA -前额叶回路读出。他们的发现揭示了星形胶质细胞在恐惧状态相关神经表征的产生和适应中的关键作用，修订了关键杏仁核介导的适应功能的神经中心模型。

据了解，大脑系统调节对先前遇到的威胁的反应，提供关键的生存功能。恐惧记忆和消除是由基底外侧杏仁核（BLA）的神经表征支撑的，但包括星形胶质细胞在内的非神经元细胞在这些过程中的作用仍未得到解决。

附：英文原文

Title: Astrocytes enable amygdala neural representations supporting memory

Author: Bukalo, Olena, OSullivan, Ruairi, Tanisumi, Yuta, Mendez, Adriana, Weinholtz, Chase, Zimmerman, Sydney, Offenberg, Victoria, Carpenter, Olivia, Bhagwat, Hrishikesh, Mosley, Sophie, OMalley, John J., Lyons, Kerri, Fang, Yulan, Goldschlager, Jess, Ostroff, Linnaea E., Penzo, Mario A., Wake, Hiroaki, Halladay, Lindsay R., Holmes, Andrew

Issue&Volume: 2026-02-11

Abstract: Brain systems mediating responses to previously encountered threats provide critical survival functions. Fear memory and extinction are underpinned by neural representations in the basolateral amygdala (BLA)1,2,3,4,5,6,7, but the contribution of non-neuronal cells, including astrocytes, to these processes remains unresolved. Here, using in vivo calcium (Ca2+) imaging and causal astrocyte manipulations, we find that BLA astrocytes dynamically track fear state and support fear memory retrieval and extinction. By combining astrocyte manipulations with in vivo BLA neuronal Ca2+ imaging and electrophysiological recordings, we show that astrocyte Ca2+ signalling enables neuronal encoding of fear memory retrieval and extinction, and readout through a BLA–prefrontal circuit. Our findings reveal a key role for astrocytes in the generation and adaptation of fear-state-related neural representations, revising neurocentric models of critical amygdala-mediated adaptive functions.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10068-0

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10068-0