On the role of astrocytes in synchronization of two coupled neurons: a mathematical perspective

Based on recent findings, astrocytes, a subtype of glial cells, dynamically regulate the synaptic transmission of neuronal networks. In this research, a biologically inspired neuronal network model is constructed by connecting two Morris-Lecar neuron models. In this minimal network model, neuron–astrocyte interactions are considered in a functional-based procedure. Utilizing the developed model and according to the theoretical analysis carried out in the article, it is confirmed that, the astrocyte increases the threshold value of synchronization and provides appropriate feedback control in regulating the neural activities. Therefore, the healthy astrocyte has the potential to desynchronize the synchrony between two coupled neurons. Next, we investigate malfunction of the astrocyte in the regulatory feedback loop. Mathematically, we verify that pathologic astrocyte is no longer able to increase the synchronization threshold and therefore, it cannot compensate excessive increase in the excitation level. The main reason behind this is the fact that healthy astrocyte can optimally increase the input current of the individual neurons, while the so-called pathological astrocyte is unable to modify correctly the amount of this current. Consequently, disruptions of the signaling function of astrocyte initiate the hypersynchronous firing of neurons. In other words, reduction in neuron–astrocyte cross-talk will lead to synchronized firing of neurons. Therefore, our results propose that the astrocyte could have a key role in stabilizing neural activity.