Anti-interference ability of spiking neuron-astrocyte networks in working memory

Working memory is a fundamental aspect of brain cognitive function. Its anti-interference ability relies on the network structure and the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurons in neural systems. Here, we discuss the resistance of the spiking neuron-astrocyte network (SNAN) to noise interference of the input signal during working memory tasks, and we underscore that astrocytes play an essential regulatory role in synaptic plasticity. These results indicate that, compared to the SNAN and spiking neuron network (SNN), the improved SNAN incorporated 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) modulation displays notable resistance to high noise interference. The improved SNAN shows optimal working memory performance, demonstrating a greater correlation between recalled patterns and input patterns. This may be due to the reduced connection sparsity of the neural network and decreased neural firing frequency caused by 2-AG, as well as its simultaneous impact on the secretion of glutamate. At the same time, astrocytes affecting memory maintenance generate overlapping calcium signals in multi-task working memory. In addition, astrocytes can significantly enhance working memory performance by modulating synaptic coupling under high noise interference. This study may provide insights into understanding the role of astrocytes in the neural mechanisms of working memory and information processing.