Deciphering the Neurobiological Frontier: Unveiling Astrocyte-Mediated Control over Neuronal Spiking

Deciphering the Neurobiological Frontier: Unveiling Astrocyte-Mediated Control over Neuronal Spiking

In this paper, we present a novel approach to model and simulate the intricate interactions between astrocytes and neuronal behavior, as well as their roles in plasticity learning. We introduce a VHDL-AMS based tripartite synapse model that encompasses presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons, the synaptic terminal, and the pivotal astrocyte cell. Our model demonstrates how the astrocyte acts as a control module to regulate neuronal spiking activity. Remarkably, our results reveal that by fine-tuning the coupling coefficients of astrocytes, we can effectively reduce the spiking frequency of neurons. Furthermore, we go beyond theoretical modeling by validating our findings through hardware synthesis and physical implementation on an FPGA platform. This validation underscores the crucial role of astrocytes in controlling postsynaptic neuron activity and synaptic transmission mechanisms. Our innovative VHDL-AMS representation offers a valuable tool for understanding and harnessing the intricate dynamics of astrocyte-neuron interactions, paving the way for advancements in neurobiology and neural network engineering.