关键词: astrocyte, time-delayed autapse, bursting, lag synchronization, phase synchronization

Abstract: A growing body of research has focused on neuron-astrocyte networks; however, relatively few studies have explored the modulatory role of physiologically relevant time-delayed autapses in such network architectures. In this work, we conduct a preliminary investigation into lag synchronization and phase synchronization of bursting for a pyramidal neuron and an interneuron within a neuron-astrocyte network, which are respectively induced by time delays in excitatory and inhibitory autapses. Our results reveal distinct synchronizations under the regulatory effects of the two types of time-delayed autapses. As the time delay of the excitatory autapses varies, neuronal firing transits from synchronization of the initial bursting through chaotic dynamics and back to synchronized bursting. In contrast, under the modulation of timedelayed inhibitory autapses, the two neurons first exhibit synchronized behaviors across diverse bursting patterns, followed by burst desynchronization. The results uncover the differential regulatory mechanisms of excitatory and inhibitory time-delayed autapses on neuronal synchronization, providing critical empirical evidence for understanding autaptic functions in glia-modulated networks. Moreover, this study lays a solid theoretical foundation for future investigations on autaptic effects in more complex neuron-astrocyte networks and enriches the research landscape of neurodynamics and nonlinear dynamics.

Key words: astrocyte, time-delayed autapse, bursting, lag synchronization, phase synchronization