Astrocytes Are the Superstars of Long-Term Memory: Multi-Day Trace Stabilizers
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A new study reveals that astrocytes play a crucial role in stabilizing long-term memory, challenging previous assumptions about their function in the brain, with commenters discussing the implications for our understanding of memory and potential avenues for future research.
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Oct 18, 2025 at 8:46 AM EDT
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- "Study shows how memories ripple through the brain" (2017) https://www.ninds.nih.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/st...
"Learning-enhanced coupling between ripple oscillations in association cortices and hippocampus" (2017) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aan6203 ... NeuroGrid
- "Brain found to store three copies of every memory" (2024) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41352124 :
> So that makes four (4) copies of each memory in the brain if you include the engram cells in the prefrontal cortex
Does this multi-day interval correspond to any of the intervals estimated in studies of neural representation drift?
From yesterday regarding carbon microtubules, quantum cognition, and representation drift: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45620897
How do astrocytes affect representation drift?
Is this fair to say:? Astrocyte activations are more stable for a longer period of time than other neuroactivations.
Unsure if they're more stable.