Human Memory Storage Explodes in Astrocytes

The human brain contains roughly 86 billion neurons, and for decades scientists have assumed that these cells are the primary drivers of memory and cognition. However, a new study from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests that another type of brain cell, long considered little more than support tissue, may play a much larger role than previously believed. The researchers propose that astrocytes, star-shaped cells found throughout the brain, could help explain the brain’s remarkable memory capacity and overcome limitations found in traditional theories of memory storage. The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.