Astrocytic β ₂ -adrenergic receptors mediate hippocampal long-term memory consolidation

Significance Experiences are remembered long-term when these memories are formed in a state of arousal and heightened emotion. The arousal-induced release of noradrenaline is critical for modulating consolidation, the process that establishes long-term memory. Although the effects of pharmacological manipulation of adrenergic signaling on memory stability are already being investigated in the clinical setting, how adrenergic receptors mediate long-term memory consolidation remains unclear. This study reports a previously unidentified mechanism with important translational implications: The noradrenergic receptors that in the hippocampus mediate memory consolidation are β 2 -adrenergic receptors (β 2 ARs) expressed in astrocytes. These receptors are necessary for the learning-evoked release of lactate from astrocytes, which then is required to support the neuronal molecular changes essential for long-term memory formation.