Recent Advances in Brain Physiology and Cognitive Processing

Overview

Journal Mens Sana Monogr

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2011 Jun 23

PMID 21694969

Citations 5

Authors

Pereira Alfredo Jr

Maria Alice Ornellas Pereira

Fabio Augusto Furlan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The discovery of participation of astrocytes as active elements in glutamatergic tripartite synapses (composed by functional units of two neurons and one astrocyte) has led to the construction of models of cognitive functioning in the human brain, focusing on associative learning, sensory integration, conscious processing and memory formation/retrieval. We have modelled human cognitive functions by means of an ensemble of functional units (tripartite synapses) connected by gap junctions that link distributed astrocytes, allowing the formation of intra- and intercellular calcium waves that putatively mediate large-scale cognitive information processing. The model contains a diagram of molecular mechanisms present in tripartite synapses and contributes to explain the physiological bases of cognitive functions. It can be potentially expanded to explain emotional functions and psychiatric phenomena.

Citing Articles

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