2023-05-22 08:20:28
University of California research team analyzes the relationship between astrocytes and noradrenaline
A new study has been published that is expected to help find a way to stabilize the brain under extreme stress.
Although the study was conducted in mice, the research team expected similar processing to occur in the human brain. It was evaluated that it would help people who are vulnerable to toxic stress, such as those suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), find ways to relieve stress.
For primitive humans, stress was an important means for survival. Stress has made the difference between life and death. When stress occurred when predators such as lions and tigers appeared, concentration and immersion increased, and the moment of crisis was avoided.
Scientists still don’t know exactly how stressed-out people go into a state of concentration. However, it is estimated that this conversion takes place through the process of dissipation of noradrenaline, a neurotransmitter secreted during stress.
This study, conducted by a research team at the University of California, San Francisco, confirmed a new fact by studying the brains of stressed-out rats. The discovery of a new brain circuit that supplies noradrenaline to brain cells called astrocytes. It was also confirmed that astrocytes were quickly activated when the rats were stressed, and then the tension in the brain was relieved.
Although the brains of mice and humans are different, the research team believed that the contents of this study could be applied in that the human brain also has astrocytes that function in a similar way.
The research team investigated the brain activity of rats placed in a stressful situation. Through this, it was confirmed that noradrenaline is delivered not only to nerve cells that trigger alertness in the brain, but also to astrocytes that calm excessively activated nerve cells.
So far, scientists have thought that astrocytes are more of helpers than star players of brain activity, so they haven’t done much research. This study is meaningful in that it confirmed that astrocytes play a pivotal role in the activity between nerve cells beyond their auxiliary role.
This research is expected to help us better understand attention disorders, including ADHD, and develop better treatments. ADHD sufferers become extremely agitated when stressed and have great difficulty calming down and regaining concentration.
The research team explained that it would be possible to help people who are vulnerable to stress if they clearly identify the mechanism that relaxes the brain and restores attention and concentration when stressed.
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