Zhang Li, Liu Guodong, Peng Yaonan, Gao Jinqi, Tian Mi
Department of Neurosurgery, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Department of Anesthesiology, Surgery and Pain Management, Zhongda Hospital, the School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Neurochem Res. 2024 Dec 7;50(1):49. doi: 10.1007/s11064-024-04309-3.
Cognitive impairment refers to abnormalities in learning, memory and cognitive judgment, mainly manifested as symptoms such as decreased memory, impaired orientation and reduced computational ability. As the fundamental unit of information processing in the brain, neural circuits have recently attracted great attention due to their functions in regulating pain, emotion and behavior. Furthermore, a growing number of studies have suggested that neural circuits play an important role in cognitive impairment. Neural circuits can affect perception, attention and decision-making, they can also regulate language skill, thinking and memory. Pathological conditions crucially affecting the integrity and preservation of neural circuits and their connectivity will heavily impact cognitive abilities. Nowadays, technological developments have led to many novel methods for studying neural circuits, such as brain imaging, optogenetic techniques, and chemical genetics approaches. Therefore, neural circuits show great promise as a potential target in mitigating cognitive impairment. In this review we discuss the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment and the regulation and detection of neural circuits, thus highlighting the role of neural circuits in cognitive impairment. Hence, therapeutic agents against cognitive impairment may be developed that target neural circuits important in cognition.
认知障碍是指学习、记忆和认知判断方面的异常，主要表现为记忆力下降、定向力受损和计算能力降低等症状。作为大脑信息处理的基本单元，神经回路最近因其在调节疼痛、情绪和行为方面的功能而备受关注。此外，越来越多的研究表明神经回路在认知障碍中起重要作用。神经回路可以影响感知、注意力和决策，还能调节语言技能、思维和记忆。严重影响神经回路及其连接完整性和维持的病理状况将对认知能力产生重大影响。如今，技术发展带来了许多研究神经回路的新方法，如脑成像、光遗传学技术和化学遗传学方法。因此，神经回路作为减轻认知障碍的潜在靶点具有很大潜力。在本综述中，我们讨论了认知障碍的发病机制以及神经回路的调节和检测，从而突出神经回路在认知障碍中的作用。因此，可能会开发出针对认知障碍的治疗药物，这些药物以在认知中起重要作用的神经回路为靶点。
