Chemogenetic and optogenetic tools revolutionizing the study of astrocytes in memory

Memory research has been historically centered around neurons, but the understanding that neurons do not work alone is lately gaining traction. Investigation of astrocytes provides evidence of the involvement of these glial cells throughout all memory stages and in many types of memory tests. This field is constantly developing and changing through the adoption of a variety of techniques. In this review, we will focus on recent papers that have used optogenetic and chemogenetic tools, which are time-restricted and cell-type specific, to investigate astrocytic involvement in memory. We will also discuss some new tools that are starting to be implemented in astrocyte research and how they may be used in future exploration of the link between specific astrocytic activity and memory.