Grant: Joint Canada-Israel Health Research Program

Long-lasting memories define who we are and how we experience the world. Inability to form and access these memories, as in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), degrades quality of life and imposes a major burden on healthcare systems and society. Unfortunately, medical treatments that can prevent, slowdown, or reverse memory deficits are non-existent. To develop new strategies for targeting diseases associated with memory impairments, a better understanding of how the brain acquires and encodes memories is urgently needed, and novel mechanisms must be effectively harnessed for therapeutic value. In this Joint Canada-Israel Health Research Program grant, we will build upon our recent findings demonstrating that a specialized type of brain cell known as an astrocyte, has unique abilities to communicate with neural circuits in the brain. We recently uncovered that activating these cells promotes brain plasticity and enhances memory formation. These results provide a new perspective on how neural activity is regulated in the brain and has significant implications for the development of cognitive augmentation treatments that can be applied in diseases such as AD.